DCA: Premises of fake doctors across Telangana raided; drug stocks worth Rs 3.45 lakhs seized

Hyderabad: The Drugs Control Administration (DCA), Telangana, raided clinics operated by alleged quacks and unlicensed practitioners and seized illegally stocked drugs worth Rs 3.45 lakhs intended for sale at locations across the State.

The DCA conducted raids at Mahabubnagar Town; Banjara Hills; Gungal Village, Yacharam Mandal, Ranga Reddy District; Korutla Town, Jagtial District; Jewla Village, Tanoor Mandal, Nirmal District; and Satyanarayanapuram Village, Cherla Mandal, Bhadradri-Kothagudem District.

53 varieties of medicines seized

Based on credible information, on Thursday and Friday, DCA officials raided the premises of alleged quacks/unauthorised practitioners who were practising medicine without proper qualifications at their clinics. During the raids at the following premises, substantial quantities of medicines stocked for sale without drug licenses were found.

At Mahabubnagar, the alleged quack was identified as Khadar Pasha. As many as 53 varieties of drugs, two varieties of Physician’s Samples, and one expired drug were seized from his possession.

Similarly, at Banjara Hills, the DCA officials identified the alleged quack as Arun Kumar Das and 50 varieties of medicines were found stocked.

At Ranga Reddy district, the ‘fake doctor’ was identified as Bathula Laxmaiah and 24 varieties of medicines and 20 varieties of Physician’s Samples were found stocked. At Jagtial district, 40 varieties were seized from A Srikanth, 21 varieties were seized from Bakkolla Ramaswamy Goud in Nirmal district and 29 varieties were seized from Janagam Sateesh from Bhadradri-Kothagudem district.

Dangers of antimicrobial resistance

DCA director VB Kamalasan Reddy said that the officials found several ‘antibiotics’ viz. Cefadroxil, Cefixime, Cefpodoxime, Amoxicillin, Ampicillin, Cloxacillin, Ofloxacin etc. at the clinics during the raids. Indiscriminate sale of antibiotics by unqualified persons may have disastrous consequences on the health of the rural public, including the emergence of antimicrobial resistance.

The officials also found steroids viz. Hydrocortisone injections, Dexamethasone injections etc. at clinics of a quack. Misusing steroids can have serious health consequences, including immune system suppression, hormonal imbalances, muscle and bone weakness, cardiovascular problems, and psychological effects. The indiscriminate use of steroids poses significant risks to public health.

The DCA officers took the samples for analysis. Further investigation will be carried out, and action will be taken as per the law against all the offenders, he added.

Unlicensed medical shop in Kapra raided

The DCA officials, acting on credible information regarding the illegal sale of medicines, raided a shop at Jawahar Nagar Village, Kapra Mandal, Medchal-Malkajgiri District on Thursday. Danthuri Shiva Kumar was running Sri Vigneswara Medical and General Stores on the premises illegally without a drug licence.

During the raid, DCA officers found an unauthorised stocking of huge quantities of medicines for sale. As many as 36 varieties of medicines including antibiotics, steroids, anti-ulcer drugs, analgesics, etc. are found stocked for sale at the premises. The DCA officials seized the stock of a total worth Rs 30,000 during the raid. DCA officers took the samples for analysis.

Seizure of drugs falsely manufactured and sold as food products

During the raids on Thursday and Friday, the DCA officials detected drugs falsely manufactured and sold under the guise of food products/nutraceuticals.

The DCA officials in Peddapalli have detected the product Ferisyn-XT Tablets (Ferrous Ascorbate & Folic Acid Tablets) circulating in the market. The product was found to be manufactured by Stallion Enterprises, Karnal, Haryana and marketed by Syndicate Medicare as a food product/nutraceutical.

Similarly, the DCA officials in Bhupalpally have detected the product Fesozinc Tablets (Haematinic with Zinc and Vitamins Tablets) circulating in the market. The product was found to be manufactured by Pregio Pharma, Puducherry and marketed by Rapid Solutions, Chennai as a food product/nutraceutical.

The said products were falsely manufactured under a ‘food license (FSSAI license)’ and falsely claimed to be food products/nutraceuticals. According to the label composition of these products, they are classified as drugs under the Drugs and Cosmetics Act, 1940.

The products must be manufactured only under a ‘drug license’ issued under the Drugs and Cosmetics Act, adhering strictly to the Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP) outlined in Schedule M of the Drugs Rules. Additionally, it must meet the quality standards prescribed in the Indian Pharmacopoeia (IP) as mandated.

The drugs that are falsely manufactured and sold under a food license are not produced in accordance with GMPs and often fail to meet the quality standards prescribed in the Indian Pharmacopoeia. Such products pose serious risks to patients’ health and may have severe implications, the DCA director said and added that manufacturing and selling ‘drugs’ without a valid drug license is punishable under the Drugs and Cosmetics Act, with imprisonment for up to five years.