Pfizer Labelled Zavicefta, Emblaveo Vials Traced in Alleged Karnataka Fake Drug Racket

The alleged mastermind, 36-year-old former medical representative R Prashanth Ranjan Babu, was arrested after arriving at Kempegowda International Airport on September 28. Investigators stated that Prashanth had travelled to Türkiye several times to procure the labels. After his Turkish visa was cancelled, the investigation allegedly traced his travel through other countries, including Azerbaijan, while intermediaries continued arranging the labels.

According to investigators, the labels were allegedly placed on vials containing cheaper medicines to make them appear to be genuine Pfizer products. However, officials clarified that the investigation has not established that the actual drug material originated in Türkiye. The medicines used in the alleged operation were reportedly procured from several locations within India, while the labels constituted a separate part of the network.

Investigators believe the racket was organised in different stages, with separate individuals or entities involved in procuring the medicines, processing them and distributing the finished products. The SIT is examining each stage individually and scrutinising records to identify those allegedly involved at different levels of the supply chain.

Nearly 10,000 vials carrying labels of Pfizer products Zavicefta and Emblaveo, both high-value antibiotics, have reportedly been traced by investigators. The vials were allegedly distributed through the network beginning around April 2025.

Cheaper or generic medicines were allegedly sourced from Hyderabad, Chennai, Uttarakhand and other locations before being brought into the network. Investigators suspect these medicines were filled into vials and subsequently presented as genuine branded pharmaceutical products.

The case surfaced on August 18 after Karnataka's Food Safety and Drugs Administration (FSDA), along with Tavarekere police, conducted raids at farmhouses in the Bidadi and Dodderi areas of Bengaluru South. Authorities allegedly recovered suspected spurious medicines, counterfeit labels, fake bills and injection-filling equipment valued at approximately ₹5 crore. Four persons were arrested during the initial action.

The SIT was constituted two days later to investigate the broader network. The probe subsequently expanded across the supply chain, resulting in the arrest of seven persons, including Veeresh Kumar Jain and Balasubramanya, a Chennai-based associate and partner in DM Pharma along with Prashanth's wife, Priyanka.

Investigators mentioned that Prashanth had established the firm in 2021 after spending more than a decade working as a medical representative in Delhi, Hyderabad and Chennai. Officials suspect that his professional experience provided him with knowledge of hospital demand, medicine prices, pharmaceutical distribution channels and profit margins. Suspected counterfeit medicines were also allegedly distributed alongside genuine stock, making their identification more difficult.

Regulatory action has meanwhile intensified as authorities trace pharmaceutical companies and distributors associated with the suspected supply chain. On September 18, the FSDA cancelled the licences of 16 retail and wholesale pharmaceutical firms and suspended the licences of eight others, including Pfizer's depot in Nelamangala.

Hindustan Times reports that Pfizer has been cooperating with authorities during the investigation, including assisting officials in distinguishing genuine products from counterfeit batches and providing relevant technical information. The SIT continues to map the procurement, processing and distribution channels to establish the extent of the alleged counterfeit pharmaceutical network.