Data: Crackdown on drugs in Telangana 2023 puts spurious drugs detection at 1.73%; up from 2022

Hyderabad: The percentage of Not of Standard Quality (NSQ) drugs detected by the Drugs Control Administration (DCA), Telangana, increased between 2022 and 2023 from 0.53 per cent to 1.73 per cent. The number of samples tested had also increased during the period from 3,209 in 2022 to 4,552 in 2023.

According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), an estimated one in 10 medical products in low and middle-income countries is substandard or falsified.

DCA has been on a vigil to detect and trace the supply routes of spurious drugs in the Telangana State. The increase in spurious (counterfeit) drugs in the market is scary as it can result in anyone becoming a victim of such drugs and their deleterious effects.

The DCA recently shared a note on their key enforcement activities carried out since July 21, 2023. “The DCA was also applauded by the Interpol in mid-January for the successful detection and busting of certain spurious drug rackets between December 2023 and January 2024 in Hyderabad,” informed VB Kamalasan Reddy, director general, DCA, Telangana.

Spurious Drugs: A major threat to public health

Spurious drugs are a major threat to public health. Spurious or counterfeit drugs are falsified medicines that deliberately or fraudulently misrepresent their identity, composition or source. Spurious drugs may cause harm to patients and fail to treat the diseases for which they were intended.

Spurious drugs are manufactured by scammers where the true identity of the product is concealed. It is made to resemble a drug of a reputed company, especially a popular brand, to deceive the buyer and cash on the popularity of the original product.

Adverse effects of spurious drugs

“Spurious drugs may contain no active ingredient or the wrong active ingredient or the wrong amount of the correct active ingredient. They are also found to commonly contain corn starch, potato starch or chalk instead of the active ingredient. Some spurious drugs have been fatal due to toxic levels of the wrong active ingredient or toxic chemicals,” said Kamalasan Reddy.

“Spurious drugs place the patient’s health at grave risk. They not only fail to cure the disease but, over time, create disastrous consequences for the patient. They lead to loss of confidence in medicines, healthcare providers and health systems,” the DCA director general said.

Difficult to detect

Spurious drugs are difficult to detect. They are often designed to appear identical to the genuine product and may not always cause an obvious adverse reaction. However, they often will fail to properly treat the disease or condition for which they were intended and can lead to serious health consequences including death.

Major enforcement activities by DCA

On August 14, 2023, DCA detected ‘physician samples’ stocks at Balaji Medical and General Stores in Rajendranagar, which subsequently led to the detection of a huge stock of physician samples worth Rs 25 lakhs stocked at a godown at Jalpally, Ranga Reddy District. This operation also led to other seizures of stocks of physician samples at Mahabubnagar, Jadcherla, Nagarkurnool and Wanaparthy.

On September 1, 2023, based on credible information, DCA raided Health First Medical and General Stores in Warsiguda, Secunderabad, and seized 16 varieties of drugs marked ‘Telangana Government Supply Drugs - Not for Sale’ worth Rs 2 lakhs.

The next day, DCA seized 376.2 kg of Ciprofloxacin Hydrochloride worth Rs 9.6 lakhs from partners of Lead pharma in Prashanth Nagar, Kukatpally Mandal, Medchal-Malkajgiri District for unlicensed stocking of the drug. With assistance from a special operation team (SOT), an operation was carried out at Efficient Agrichem Pvt Ltd, Denduluru in Eluru District, Andhra Pradesh.

On October 30, 2023, DCA officers found unlicensed manufacturing of the drug Tizanidine Hydrochloride at SV Labs Pvt Ltd, Koyyalagudem Village, Choutuppal Mandal in Yadadri-Bhuvanagiri District. They also found that Amantadine Hydrochloride was being stockpiled without a license and seized huge stocks of drugs worth Rs 66 lakhs on November 15, 2023, after receipt of a test report from the Drugs Control Laboratory, Hyderabad.

Beware of spurious anti-cancer drugs

On December 2, 2023, based on intelligence gathered, DCA officers carried out raids in Cherlapally, Nacharam, Keesara, and Medchal and kept a godown at Machabollaram on surveillance.

On December 4, DCA Telangana raided the unlicensed godown at Machabollaram and found counterfeit and spurious anti-cancer drugs claimed to be manufactured by a non-existent company Astra Generics Pvt Ltd. During the raid, 36 varieties of anti-cancer drugs and other drugs worth Rs 4,35,00,000 lakhs (Rs 4.35 crores) were seized. Kadari Sateesh Reddy, the prime accused in the case, is absconding.

On December 22, 2023, the DCA raided unlicensed premises at Plot No 15, TSIIC Industrial Park, Annarugudem Village, Tallada Mandal in Khammam District, which belonged to Aspen Biopharma and found illicit manufacturing of drugs at the facility.

Active pharmaceutical ingredients Clopidogrel Besylate and Sertraline Hydrochloride were found on the premises. The total stock of drugs found was about 935 kg. Kadari Sateesh Reddy is said to be the key conspirator in this case too.

Spurious drugs in Telangana come from other states

On December 29, 2023, based on intelligence gathered regarding the entry of spurious drugs into Telangana State from Kashipur in Uttarakhand, a special team of DCA, Telangana raided various locations in Hyderabad and busted a spurious/counterfeit drug racket of fake antibiotics, hypertension and cholesterol medicines, analgesics and seized stocks worth Rs 26 lakhs.

Spurious drugs were being shipped to Hyderabad through a courier company Trackon Couriers Pvt Ltd. The parcels containing the drugs would be falsely labelled ‘machine parts’ to avoid raising suspicion. They were being sent from Kashipur by Amar Pharmaceuticals on Ramnagar Road and were being received by a Puvvada Lakshman in Hyderabad.

On January 3, 2024, the DCA busted a counterfeit/spurious antibiotics racket involving the shipping of fake antibiotics to Telangana State through courier from Ghaziabad, Uttar Pradesh and seized fake antibiotics worth Rs 22.95 lakhs during raids at Uppal and Dilsukhnagar.

Gangs selling fake drugs using reputable brands

Spurious/counterfeit drugs detected and seized by DCA officials include fake medicines falsely labelled using the names of reputable companies like Sun Pharma (Rosuvas 10 Tablets - used in the treatment of high cholesterol), Glenmark Pharma (Telma H Tablets, Telma 40 Tablets - used in the treatment of hypertension), Aristo Pharmaceuticals (Monocef-O 200 Tablets - antibiotic), Torrent Pharma (Chymoral Forte - used to relieve pain and swelling).

DCA officials also found two varieties of antibiotics MPOD-200 Tablets (Cefpodoxime Proxetil and Lactic Acid Bacillus tablets) and MEXCLAV 625 Tablets (Amoxicillin and Potassium Clavulanate, Lactic Acid Bacillus tablets) during the raid which were labelled as manufactured by ‘Meg Lifesciences, Sirmour, Himachal Pradesh,’ a fictitious or non-existent company.

On December 29, 2023, the DCA busted a spurious/counterfeit drugs manufacturing racket at Kukatpally, Hyderabad from a company called Rams Pharmaceuticals at Moosapet, which was manufacturing counterfeit anti-ulcer medicines.

On the same day, DCA officers found the unlicensed manufacturing of the drug Dapoxetine Hydrochloride at Meka Labs, Gaddapotharam Village, Jinnaram Mandal in Sangareddy District and seized 284 kg of the drug Dapoxetine Hydrochloride worth Rs 20 lakhs.

On December 30, 2023, DCA officers of Nizamabad raided Biomedic Pharmaceuticals Pvt Ltd, Vinayaka Nagar in Nizamabad and seized 29,600 capsules of the counterfeit drug Essom-RD (Esomeprazole Gastro-Resistant and Domperidone Sustained Release capsules), worth Rs 6 lakhs.

Psychotropic NSQ drugs seized

DCA also raided unlicensed manufacturing facilities/chemical factories in the state to stop the manufacturing of narcotic drugs, psychotropic substances and other general drugs.

The officials found Tizanidine Hydrochloride being manufactured and stocked without a license at SV Labs Pvt Ltd in Yadadri-Bhuvanagiri District. They seized drugs worth Rs 66 lakhs. In another raid in December, 284 kg of drug Dapoxetine Hydrochloride worth Rs 20 lakhs was seized from Meka Labs, Jinnaram Mandal in Sangareddy District.

Special drives were also conducted to verify the indiscriminate sale of habit-forming drugs by medical outlets between September and December 2023, where out of 556 shops inspected, violations were reported at 469 shops.

2024 raids: Illicit manufacturing found at 10 facilities on Hyderabad's outskirts

During the raids carried out on January 4 and 5 this year, DCA officials inspected 10 unlicensed facilities on the outskirts of Hyderabad and found illicit manufacturing of Alprazolam, Tramadol etc. They also found the unlicensed manufacturing of the drug Diacerein at Rakshit Drugs Pvt Ltd, Unit II, Bonthapally Village, Gummadidala Mandal in Sangareddy District and seized 236 kg of the stock worth Rs 50.25 lakhs during the raid.

On January 19, 2024, DCA raided Iswarya Fertility Centre at Malakpet, which was running a pharmacy with a fake drug licence and seized huge stocks of medicines worth Rs 10 lakhs.

Raids on quacks, fake doctors

The DCA Telangana intensified surprise raids on unqualified persons/quacks (claimed as RMPs, PMPs) who were carrying out stocking and sale of drugs without any drug license.