Gandhinagar/Ahmedabad, May 1 (IANS) Gujarat Health Minister Praful Pansheriya said on Saturday that more than Rs 1.21 crore worth of suspected drugs had been seized or prohibited during raids on pharmaceutical firms in Ahmedabad, part of a wider enforcement drive across the state against spurious, substandard and addictive medicines.

The action, carried out by the state’s Food and Drug Control Administration (FDCA), included inspections and raids at multiple locations in Ahmedabad as well as in Vadodara, Savli and Bharuch.

Officials said that the ongoing drive involves continuous sampling and testing of medicines and strict action against those involved in adulteration and illegal sale.

Providing details, Minister Pansheriya said, “The state government will not compromise on the health of citizens under any circumstances. We have adopted a policy of ‘zero tolerance’ against the illegal sale of spurious, substandard and addictive drugs.”

He added that he had chaired a meeting in Gandhinagar with senior officials of the FDCA and directed them to take stringent action against firms engaged in the illegal use and sale of medicines that contribute to addiction among the youth, as well as those involved in the trade of counterfeit drugs.

In Ahmedabad, a raid on Pavan Formulation found large quantities of codeine-based syrup being stored.

During inspection, officials detected substantial stocks of narcotic, habit-forming and abuse-prone medicines.

Serious discrepancies were also found in purchase and sales records, and drugs worth more than Rs 76.51 lakh were prohibited.

At Yusuf Medicines in Gomtipur, an Ayurvedic product, ‘HABBE AUJA’, was found to contain the allopathic ingredient diclofenac.

The product was declared spurious and stock worth around Rs 12,000 was seized.

In another case, drugs worth Rs 4.60 lakh were seized from Times Medicament Private Limited for shifting premises without approval and irregularities in billing related to Mounjaro injections.

The licence of Ahmedabad-based AEDMAX Lifecare, was suspended for 15 days for illegal sale of Rexcron-T codeine syrup.

Authorities are also verifying the sales records of Maxila Mediscience Private Limited, which manufactures medicines containing psychotropic substances such as tramadol and alprazolam, as part of an ongoing investigation.

In a separate raid conducted in the presence of officials at a shop located on the first floor (E-24) of Manhar Nagar Shopping Centre, it was found that drugs were being stored for sale without a valid licence.

Stock worth nearly Rs 40 lakh was seized and legal action initiated against the responsible entity.

In Vadodara, Medicament Solutions (P) Limited was found to be selling “Mounjaro KwikPen” injections online without a doctor’s prescription.

Officials said the firm used misleading advertisements to obtain orders and dispatched medicines to patients without medical examination, posing serious health risks.

The company’s licence has been permanently cancelled and legal proceedings have been initiated against those involved.

Another Vadodara-based firm, Amico Formulation LLP, was found manufacturing high-dose Tapentadol Hydrochloride drugs.

As such doses have a high likelihood of misuse as narcotic substances rather than for legitimate medical treatment, the firm’s production licence was cancelled with immediate effect.

In Savli taluka’s Ghantiyal village, officials collected 22 samples from Amico Formulation LLP.

Of these, the Vadodara laboratory declared the sample of ‘Mixacrip Caplets’ as “Not of Standard Quality”.

The company has been issued notices for ‘stop sale’ and ‘product recall’, while the entire stock has been seized by Savli police for further legal action.

In Bharuch, ALPHARD Pharma was also found manufacturing high-dose Tapentadol Hydrochloride drugs.

Following the cancellation of the No Objection Certificate (NOC) by the Central government, FDCA has permanently cancelled the export permit for the product.

–IANS

mys/khz