CDSCO, Himachal Drug Authority bust fake drug racket in Paonta Sahib
CDSCO, Himachal Drug Authority raid
Solan: In a major crackdown on the illegal pharmaceutical trade, a joint team of the Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation (CDSCO) and the Himachal Pradesh Drug Control Administration has uncovered a racket involved in the supply of counterfeit Active Pharmaceutical Ingredients (APIs) in the Sirmaur district.
The surprise raid—sparked by a tip-off—targeted a licensed wholesale drug premises near Paonta Sahib bus stand. Two APIs — Thiocolchicoside and Azithromycin, suspected to be fake, were recovered from the site.
Drug Controller Dr. Manish Kapoor said the fake APIs included Encrythiocolchicoside, used for muscle spasms, and Azithromycin, a common antibiotic. The owner failed to provide any purchase records and has been detained.
Preliminary probe revealed the fake materials were being supplied from Uttarakhand, where two more arrests have been made. The investigation is ongoing, and further action is likely.
As per UNI report, Dr. Kapoor warned that such crimes are serious threats to public health and strict action would be taken under the Drugs and Cosmetics Act, 1940. He added that drug inspectors have been told to speed up the investigation and take legal action.
In a related development, the CDSCO bulletin for February 2025 flagged 38 drug samples from Himachal Pradesh as “Not of Standard Quality.” Many of these failed medicines were traced to units operating in the Solan district, particularly Baddi, Barotiwala and Nalagarh.
Following this, the Solan district administration and the State Drug Authority conducted joint raids and seized defective drug batches. These included injections containing particles and common tablets like Calcium-Vitamin D3, Amoxyheal-CV, Para 500, Rabicy-20, and Diclowin Plus.
State officials said batch recalls have been initiated and show-cause notices have been sent to the companies involved. The Drug Controller said Himachal Pradesh has zero tolerance for spurious or substandard drugs and will continue strict surveillance.
The government is also working on setting up a new state-of-the-art drug testing laboratory in Baddi to ensure better quality checks in future.
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