The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has cancelled the licences of 176 medicine retailers and 39 wholesalers across Maharashtra over the past year for selling substandard medicines, FDA Minister Narahari Zirwal informed the State Assembly on Wednesday.
Responding in writing to a question raised by BJP MLA Amit Satam and others, Zirwal said samples of cough syrups and other medicines were sent for testing as part of a special statewide campaign.
“Licences of 176 retailers and 39 wholesalers were cancelled. Another 136 retailers and 93 wholesalers were inspected, issued show-cause notices, and penalised for selling substandard cough syrups,” he said.
Zirwal revealed that fake cough syrups were detected in several drugstores and companies during the FDA’s October 2024 drive. Doctors, clinical establishments and pharmacists were instructed not to prescribe or sell medicines containing propranolol.
A total of 36 samples were tested across 10 locations in Mumbai, Thane, Pune, Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar and Nagpur divisions; 34 were found to be substandard. These included medicines for hypertension, diabetes, tuberculosis, heart disease and blood purification.
Six samples of a particular paediatric cough syrup were also found to be of poor quality. Zirwal said some components had been altered or mixed and sold under a new name. He also stated that unauthorised companies had supplied fake and substandard medicines to government hospitals.
The minister noted that drug testing and monitoring have been affected due to 176 vacant drug inspector posts. Maharashtra currently has three testing laboratories — in Mumbai, Nagpur and Pune.
Zirwal added that 109 drug inspector posts will be filled through the Maharashtra Public Service Commission (MPSC), and efforts are underway to upgrade laboratories in Nashik and Pune.
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