Pharma Firm Blacklisted in Goa Over Alleged Spurious Anti-Snake Venom Supply
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Panaji: The Goa government has blacklisted a pharmaceutical company following a controversy over the alleged supply of suspicious anti-snake venom to the Directorate of Health Services (DHS), triggering an investigation into the procurement and distribution of the life-saving drug.
The action comes after authorities began probing the supply of anti-venom vials suspected to be spurious and supplied to the state health department through an empanelled vendor. The drug, used to treat snakebite victims, is considered critical for emergency treatment, raising serious concerns about patient safety and the integrity of the drug supply chain.
According to officials, Goa police had earlier registered a case against a Santa Cruz-based pharmaceutical distributor for allegedly cheating the health department by supplying dubious lyophilised (freeze-dried) snake anti-venom. The complaint was filed by a senior medical officer on behalf of the Directorate of Health Services, alleging that the firm misrepresented the product as being manufactured by another pharmaceutical company and used packaging resembling that company’s label without authorization.
Investigators stated that the distributor allegedly induced the health department to place a purchase order worth around Rs 4.9 lakh for anti-venom vials. The stock supplied under the order was later suspected to be spurious, prompting regulatory scrutiny and a criminal investigation under provisions related to cheating and copyright violations.
Earlier, central and state drug regulators had seized 1,080 vials of the suspected anti-snake venom supplied to the DHS after receiving a complaint from the original manufacturer based in Telangana, which claimed that its label had been misused. Samples of the seized vials were sent to the Central Drugs Laboratory for testing while authorities continued efforts to identify the actual manufacturer.
Officials also stated that the anti-venom stock had been supplied through a distributor chain involving firms from different states, and investigators are attempting to determine where the drug was originally produced. Health authorities confirmed that none of the seized vials were administered to patients.
According to a recent media report by the Times of India, given the seriousness of the issue and the potential risk to public health, the state government has now blacklisted the supplier and initiated further inquiry into the procurement process to ensure accountability and prevent similar incidents in the future.
Authorities also emphasized that snake anti-venom is a life-saving drug that must be manufactured, stored and distributed under strict regulatory conditions, and any counterfeit or tampered supply could pose severe risks to patients.
