As part of the investigation into the expired drugs issue, the Special Team of the Chennai Police will soon interrogate the heads of two pharma companies involved in the manufacture and marketing of Renerve tablets and Renerve capsules. The two companies are the Chennai-based marketing company Grandix Pharmaceuticals Ltd and the Strides Arcolab, the Bangalore- based manufacturing company, said S N Seshasai, Joint Commissioner of Police, Chennai.

When asked whether any other companies including multinationals are under scanner, he said whosoever involved in the re-use of time-barred drugs will be interrogated. Further he said Meenakshi Sundaram of Meena Health Care, who absconded when the case came out and later surrendered in the Magistrate Court, will be taken into police custody on March 31 for interrogation.

Renerve tablets and capsules, which were produced by Strides Arcolab and marketed in Chennai by Grandix Pharmaceuticals, were the majority of expired drug items found out by the drugs control department in the Kodungaiyur dump yard during their inspection in the second week of this month. Following it, the department has sought the help of police for more investigation. The police investigation has led to more raids and seizures of expired drugs from several parts of the state.

So far, the police team has seized expired drugs worth Rs 5.5 crore from all the raids conducted within one week in the city. This is the first time in the state Police has initiated the crack down on drugs mafia.

The Joint Commissioner, who is heading the investigation on the case of recycling of expired drugs in the state, said there are some more companies under scanner and the raids will continue further. Pharmabiz had an exclusive interview with the investigating officer yesterday.

N Baskaran, the deputy commissioner of Police in Otteri, who is the chief investigation officer of the case under the JC, told Pharmabiz that so far no case has been registered against Grandix or Strides. When asked about the delay, he said it is the duty of the drugs control department to request the police to initiate the case. He further said some police party has gone to Bangalore to conduct enquiry in the offices of Strides and such enquiry is going on in Grandix’s office in Chennai also.

When contacted, the director of Drugs Control, M Bhaskaran said there are so many companies involved in the case and investigation is going on. If anything he divulges now, it will adversely affect the investigation. For a repeated question why he is not requesting the police to initiate action against Grandix and Strides even after 15 days of his direct raid at the site, the Director kept mum over the question. Bhaskaran, who was awarded the Best Drugs Control Award this year by AIDCOC, said currently his focus is on different issues.

While discussing with Pharmabiz, the deputy police commissioner said Strides Arcolab was giving offers to some marketing companies in Chennai to distribute their Renerve products which included Renerve injections, Renerve tablets and Renerve capsules. But recently even after they stopped the offers, they happened to know that some people in Chennai were selling the items on discounted rate. Hence they approached the drugs control directorate and made a complaint. The drugs control department, in its investigation has found out the huge quantity of expired drugs in the Kodungaiyur dump yard, and later informed the police for investigation.

To a question how the drugs could be left in the dump yard, where the Municipality does not allow outsiders to enter the premises, the police officer said one Venkiteswaran, working as driver in the Grandix has lifted the consignments five times to the dump yard. The chain of operation was, according to police version, carried out by one Sanjay Kumar residing at Egmore. Venkiteswaran gave the expired and damaged drugs to one Prabakaran, who passed it to one John Pasha, and John Pasha handed over it to Sanjay Kumar who would change the strips, labels and names and brought them back to the market.

When asked whether this illegal activity was being done with the knowledge of the companies, Baskaran said only after investigation anything could be commented.

The police team has so far registered cases against 17 people from various companies and arrested 11 of them. Four persons including Meenakshi Sundaram have surrendered in the court. Sanjay Kumar, who has no drug license, and his assistant one Bhaskaran are still absconding, said deputy police commissioner N Baskaran.

Sources in the pharma industry and drugs control administration said S A Manikandan, the managing director of Grandix Pharmaceuticals is resigning shortly from the company in the wake of the company’s shifting to Bangalore. Manikandan was also acting as CEO - Brands of Strides Arcolab Ltd.