Fake anti-hypertension drugs: Cuttack druggists’ association cancels membership of two distributors

Cuttack: The Chemists and Druggists Association of Cuttack district has cancelled the memberships of two drugs distributors for allegedly supplying fake anti-hypertension medicines to retailers.

The association has cancelled the memberships of VR Drug Agencies at Manikghos Bazar and Puja Enterprises at Jaunliapati in the Silver City here after the Drugs Inspector of Cuttack district lodged an FIR against the two wholesalers at Purighat police station in connection with the sale of spurious drugs for treatment of high blood pressure.

The association has urged the Drug Control Administration of Health and Family Welfare department of Odisha to initiate stringent action against the two wholesalers. The chemists’ body has also planned to visit Gaya in Bihar and Bangalore in Karnataka to conduct a detailed probe into the manufacture and supply of fake anti-hypertension drugs, sources said.

Earlier, there were reports that the spurious medicines had been procured from Gaya and Bangalore.

The Drugs Inspector of Cuttack district has mentioned the names of four persons of VR Drug Agencies and Puja Enterprises in the FIR. Besides, the Drug Control Administration has submitted a report regarding the sale of spurious drugs to the court of Sub-Divisional Judicial Magistrate (SDJM) here.

It has been learnt that VR Drugs Agencies’ proprietor Varsharani Kyal, her son Rahul Kyal, Puja Enterprises owner Sanjay Jalan and his wife Chanchal Jalan have been booked by Purighat police in connection with the sale of fake high blood pressure medicines.

A special team of the Drug Control Administration will visit Patna in Bihar, Ranchi in Jharkhand and Bangalore in Karnataka to conduct a detailed probe into the issue, sources said.

“Four senior officials of the Drug Control Administration along with the police will visit several places outside Odisha to find out the source of the spurious drugs. The Drug Control Administration has also cancelled the licences of these two drugs wholesalers,” said an official.

Earlier, the Drug Control Administration had raided several drugstores in Cuttack, Bhubaneswar and other places amid reports of sale of spurious drugs for treatment high blood pressure.

As per the allegations, counterfeit drugs in the brand names of popular anti-hypertension drugs—Telma-40 and Telma-AM—had been sent to around 1,000 drugstores in Cuttack, Bhubaneswar, Balasore and several other places in the state.

Subsequently, the Directorate of Drugs Control Odisha had directed immediate recall of the two particular drugs from the market.

Notably, pharmaceutical major Glenmark has clarified that it had not manufactured the anti-hypertension drugs—Telma-40 and Telma-AM—seized from several drugstores in Odisha.