Conducts raids at six wholesalers in Hyderabad
HYDERABAD, MARCH 20,, 2024: In a series of surprise raids at six wholesalers in Hyderabad, the Telangana Drugs Control Administration officials have detected huge quantity of ‘Insulin’ injections (pre-filled pens) which were procured illegally from New Delhi without purchase bills and seized stocks worth Rs 51.92 lakhs.
The DCA officials said that the insulin injections, sourced from New Delhi without purchase bills, are being sold at substantial discounts of more than 40% by the said wholesalers and are suspected to be either illegally diverted from the supply chain (or) spurious drugs, thereby raising concerns about their authenticity.
DCA Director General VB Kamalasan Reddy said that on credible intelligence gathered by the officials regarding ‘Insulin’ Injections (Pre-filled Pens) circulating in the market with discounts more than 40%, raids were conducted at six medical distributors in Hyderabad from March 15 to 20. During the raids officials detected large quantities of ‘Insulin’ products claimed to be manufactured by reputed pharma companies. These products were procured by the wholesalers from New Delhi without any purchase bills.
Upon verifying the sale bills of the wholesalers, it was revealed that they are offering the aforementioned insulin injections, which were sourced from New Delhi without any accompanying bills, with substantial discounts of more than 40%. For example, a product with an MRP of Rs. 5263/- is being offered for sale at Rs. 2070/- by the wholesaler, which is highly unusual, thereby raising concerns about their authenticity.
Raids were carried out at the following wholesalers who sourced Insulin Injections without any purchase invoices and offering them with huge discounts. Upon enquiry, the wholesalers disclosed that the stocks of Insulin Injections were supplied illegally without bills by Bhagwati Pharma, PVT. Bhagirath Palace, Delhi-110006, and by Royal Drugs, Shri Netaji Medicine Market, Bhagirath Palace, New Delhi.
During these special raids, DCA officials seized stocks worth Rs. 51.92 lakhs, which were illegally procured from Delhi and are suspected to be either illegally diverted from the supply chain (or) spurious drugs. Procuring medicines illegally without purchase bills is a violation of Drugs and Cosmetics Act, 1940.
Illegal procurement of medicines without purchase bills is considered fraudulent behavior primarily because it involves:
- Health and Safety Risks: Illegal procurement of medicines without proper documentation raises significant health and safety concerns. Without purchase bills, the quality, authenticity, and safety of the medicines cannot be verified, posing risks to consumers’ health.
- Tax Evasion: Furthermore, failing to maintain purchase bills may also lead to tax evasion as it prevents accurate reporting of expenses and revenue related to the procurement and sale of medicines.
Joint Director G. Ramdhan, Assistant Directors Dr V. Balanaganjan, M. Vijay Gopal, T. Rajamouli, D. Saritha, Drugs Inspectors J. Kiran, Dr. B. Lakshminarayana, B. Govind Singh, G. Indira Priyadarshini, V. Ajay, T. Shiva Teja, B. Praveen, M. Chandrasekhar, V. Ravikumar, G. Anil, P. Santosh, E. Thirupathi are among the officers who carried out the raids. DCA officers lifted the samples for analysis. Further investigation shall be carried out and action shall be taken as per the law against all the offenders.
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