BHUBANESWAR: Even as the State Drug Control Administration investigations have found widespread circulation of drugs manufactured by Jaipur-based fake company Abhay Healthcare Limited in Odisha, test reports have revealed bulk of its medicines to be substandard and spurious.
The office of Drug Controllers has received test reports of 10 of total 26 samples of different drug formulations of which seven have been labelled ‘not of standard quality’ (NSQ) and one ‘spurious’. Two formulations, however, have found been to be of standard quality.
Two samples of levocetrizine montelukast antihistamine syrups marketed by the dubious enterprise under Montul brand were tested of which one was found NSQ and the other spurious. Antibiotic under brand TFlox-OZ and antihistamine tablet Montul along with alkaliser T-Citra were also found to be NSQ.
However, cough syrups marketed under ProApp and TApp brands were of standard quality, State Drugs Controller (in-charge) HK Mohapatra said.
Mohapatra said the manufacturer Awadesh Sharma, who had used the fictitious company Abhay Healthcare, had pushed his products into Odisha through five wholesalers by providing them forged licences of Himachal Pradesh Government. The Himachal Pradesh Drugs Controller has confirmed the licences to be fake only two days back, Mohapatra said.
The Drugs Controller said following the discovery of the fake company in November, recall of all medicines from retailers had been issued while seizures were also conducted. The recall process, which is almost complete, has yielded `4.07 lakh worth of medicines supplied by the company. Meanwhile, in a bid to make surveillance mechanisms more effective, the Drugs Control Administration has issued a set of guidelines directing drug inspectors in the districts to maintain a databank of all medicines sold in the respective regions. The wholesalers and retailers will have to provide the list of medicines to the drug inspectors which will then be linked to the central databank.
“In this way, we can keep a tab on the manufacturers and all medicines sold in the State. In case of suspicion, we can immediately ascertain the places where the drugs are available and initiate swift action,” Mohapatra added.