HYDERABAD, OCTOBER 25, 2024: Officials of Drugs Control Administration, Telangana continued their drive against unlicenced medical shops and quacks in various parts of the state.
Freshly, the DCA officials raided a medical shop located in Dilsukhnagar, Ranga Reddy District, which was operating illegally without a drug license. During the raid, DCA seized stocks worth Rs. 1.15 lakhs from the premises. In another incident, they raided a quack’s clinic and seized drugs stocked for sale at Lambadigadda, Puppalguda, Gandipet, Ranga Reddy District and seized stocks worth Rs. 1.85 lakhs from the premises.
DCA Director-General VB Kamalasan Reddy said acting on credible information regarding the illegal sale of medicines, officials raided a medical shop located at Mahalaxmi Ganapati Complex, P & T Colony, Dilsukhnagar, Saroornagar, Ranga Reddy District on Thursday. Neerkanti Nagesh was running a medical shop at the said premises illegally, without a drug licence. During the raid, DCA officers detected unauthorized stocking of huge quantity of medicines for sale. 19 varieties of medicines including antibiotics, antihistaminics, antiulcer drugs, etc. are found stocked for sale at the premises. DCA officials seized the stock of total worth Rs. 1.15 lakhs during the raid. J. Nagaraju, Drugs Inspector, Saroornagar and L. Raju, Drugs Inspector, Hayathnagar are among the officers who carried out the raid.
The public should avoid purchasing medicines from unlicensed medical shops. Buying medicines from such sources significantly increases the risks to public health as they are unregulated. It is advisable to purchase medicines only from licensed medical shops. Licensed medical shops typically ‘display their drug licences’ issued by the Drugs Control Administration, Telangana, conspicuously in a prominent place that is easily visible to the public. Selling medicines without a licence is considered an offence, and medicines purchased from unlicensed premises are likely to be counterfeit products.
The public can verify whether a medical shop or pharmacy holds a license issued by the Drugs Control Administration, Telangana, through ‘Third Party Verification’. Public can enter the name of the pharmacy or medical shop in the search box provided under the ‘Third Party Verification’ section of the ODLS website at https://odls.telangana.gov.in/ThirdPartypublicview.aspx to verify the details of the drug licences issued by the Drugs Control Administration, Telangana. This allows individuals to check whether the medical shop or pharmacy is authorized to sell medicines or not.
Quack’s clinic in Lambadigadda, Puppalguda, Gandipet
On credible information, Drugs Control Administration officials, raided the premises of a quack Ratan Biswas, at Lambadigadda, Puppalguda, Gandipet, Ranga Reddy District, who was practicing medicine without proper qualification at his clinic named ‘Balaji Clinic’. During the raid, DCA officials detected 34 varieties of medicines, including antibiotics, steroids, analgesics etc., found stocked at the premises without a drug licence. DCA officials seized the stock, worth a total of Rs. 1.85 lakhs during the raid.
DCA officials detected several ‘antibiotics’ viz. Cefpodoxime, Cefixime, Ofloxacin, Amoxycillin etc. at the clinic during the raid. Indiscriminate sale of antibiotics, by unqualified persons may have disastrous consequences on the health of rural public, including emergence of ‘Antimicrobial Resistance’.
Officials found ‘steroids’ viz. Prednisolone Tablets at the clinic of the 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. D. Swetha Bindu, Drugs Inspector, Gandipet and A. Shylaja Rani, Drugs Inspector, Serilingampally, are among the officers who carried out the raid.
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