The Ambajogai city police have registered an FIR against four suppliers after a significant drug racket involving spurious medicines was uncovered, following an investigation by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The case, suspected to involve an inter-state drug racket, emerged after an inspection revealed that counterfeit medicines had been supplied to Swami Ramanand Teerth Rural Medical College and Hospital.
The investigation began on August 10, 2023, when FDA inspector Manoj Paithane collected a sample of ‘Azimcim-500 Tablets’ from the hospital’s medical store. These tablets, intended to contain the active ingredient Azithromycin, were found to be spurious after lab testing in Mumbai. The tablets lacked the essential ingredient and failed to meet prescribed standards, violating Section 17-B of the Drugs and Cosmetics Act, 1940.
Further investigation revealed that the spurious Azimcim-500 tablets were supplied by a firm based in Kolhapur, which sourced the counterfeit drugs from a Bhiwandi-based private company. The trail led to a Thane-based company operating from Mira Road in Mumbai, with documents claiming the drugs were manufactured in Uttarakhand. However, FDA authorities in Dehradun confirmed that no such manufacturer existed at the claimed address.
Authorities have identified Vijay Choudhary, the owner of a firm involved in the racket, as a key player. Choudhary is already in custody, facing multiple FIRs from Wardha, Bhiwandi, and other areas. His firm, which posed as a supplier of generic medicines, has yet to reveal the true source of the counterfeit drugs, raising concerns about a wider network operating across state lines.
The Beed police, in collaboration with the FDA, are now investigating the involvement of several middlemen in the distribution of counterfeit medicines to retailers and hospitals. The spurious drugs pose a significant threat to public health, potentially causing life-threatening complications for patients who rely on the medicines. Investigators are also focusing on tracking the sources of raw materials and the packaging processes used for the fake drugs.
Authorities have vowed to continue their investigation and are anticipating further arrests and raids in the coming days to uncover the full extent of the racket.