Karnataka drugs control dept seizes drugs worth Rs. 20 lakh from unlicensed dealer

Bangalore, 6 Jan: In massive hunt to seize the drugs found to be not-of-standard quality, the Karnataka drugs control department seized drugs worth Rs.20 lakh from an unlicensed dealer Airer Natural Products Pvt. Ltd. here on January 3, 2011. The company's health division had undertaken the sales of the drugs which are antibiotics and antihistamines manufactured by Zeta Labs in Solan in Himachal Pradesh. Drug inspector Manjunath Reddy under the supervision of assistant drugs controller Narayan Reddy representing Bangalore Circle 1, conducted the raid. The investigation is under progress, Dr BR Jagashetty, Karnataka Drugs Controller told this reporter. The department has also been engaged in carrying out regular inspections every month of production units and pharmacy outlets to ensure that not-of-standard quality drugs and violation in manufacturing practices are at bay. Spanning from December 1-31, the department enforcement teams seized nine drugs which are found to be not of standard quality, he added. The drugs were picked up randomly and sent for testing. Government Analyst Regional Drug Testing Laboratory, Bellary has informed that one drug albendazole tablets of 400 mg manufactured by the Karnataka Antibiotics and Pharmaceuticals Limited (KAPL) with batch No. 1302308 was found to lack the uniformity with regard to weight and hence considered to be not-of-standard quality, stated Dr Jagashetty. The government analyst drug testing laboratory in Bangalore informed that 9 drugs have been found to be not of standard quality. These are Zpod DT tablets containing Cefpodoxime Proxetil manufactured by JM Remedies, Solan in Himachal Pradesh, G-CET tablets containing cetrizine dihydochloride produced by Valence Health Care at Kangra district in Himachal Pradesh, Cefob- 250 mg tablets containing Cefurroxime axetil by ASA Biotech, a GMP certified unit in Solan district, Medipep tablets containing Serratiopeptidase and Diclofenac Pottassium manufactured by Samson Laboratories Pvt. Ltd. Solan district, Bone C by Ravian Life Sciences Pvt. Ltd. at Haridwar in Uttarkhand . One company from Ahmedabad, Shree Krishna Keshav Labs manufactured Mannitol Injection. Three products are by a pharma company from Nashik known as Vital Healthcare. The products are Lignovit Lignocaine Hydrochloride injection which is a local anaesthesia, Lignovit Lignocaine HCL injection and Lignovit Lignocaine injection. The chemists, distributors, doctors, hospitals and nursing homes have been warned not to stock, sell or use these drugs and in case they hold any stock, they are asked to intimate the concerned drugs inspector or assistant drugs controller about its presence in the market, said Dr Jagashetty.

Pharmabiz