‘Insulin pens’ sold at 40% discount seized from Hyderabad firms

Hyderabad: The Drugs Control Administration (DCA) of Telangana has conducted raids on six medical wholesalers in Hyderabad, uncovering a haul of ‘insulin’ injections (pre-filled pens) worth Rs 51.92 lakhs.

These injections, sourced illegally from New Delhi without purchase bills, were being sold at substantial discounts of more than 40 per cent, raising concerns about their authenticity.

The wholesalers involved in the illegal procurement were identified as Drug Hub, Thirumala Pharma, Shree Paras Medical Agencies, Sri Ganesh Pharma Distributors, Sree Raja Rajeshwara Distributors, and Sri Balaji Agencies. These wholesalers sourced the insulin injections without any purchase invoices from suppliers in New Delhi.

Lack of bills points to tax evasion

During the raids conducted from March 15 to 20, officials detected large quantities of insulin products, claimed to be manufactured by reputed pharmaceutical companies. However, these products were procured from New Delhi without any accompanying purchase bills, indicating illegal procurement practices.

According to a statement from the DCA, “Illegal procurement of medicines without purchase bills is considered fraudulent behaviour, posing significant health and safety risks to consumers.”

“Furthermore, failing to maintain purchase bills may also lead to tax evasion, further complicating the matter,” the statement added.

The DCA officers took samples for analysis and further investigation. Director General VB Kamalasan Reddy emphasised that action would be taken as per the law against all offenders.

Public appeal

The DCA has urged the public to report any complaints regarding illegal activities concerning medicines through their toll-free number, operational from 10:30 am to 5 pm on all working days. The illegal procurement and sale of insulin injections without purchase bills have raised significant concerns about public health and safety in Hyderabad.