In its drive against spurious drugs and drugs 'not of standard quality' (NSQ), the Drug Control Administration has asked the medical professionals, hospitals, medical shops and nursing homes to refrain from using 12 drugs as they have been found 'not of standard quality'. Giving details of the NSQ drugs, a DCA official said many patients who had been administered Ketalin injections belonging to Batch No 133, and manufactured by Marks International, Jaipur, had reacted adversely to the drug.

The drug Doxy-250 capsules of Batch No 352 and manufactured by Cadichem Pharma Ltd, Mumbai, was also suspected to be spurious as the manufacturing licence number had not been printed on the strip.

The NSQ drugs for which a red alert had been made by the DCA include Isomorin 60 capsules of Batch No 601, Isomorin 30 caps of Batch No ISM 304, manufactured by Themis Labs, Thane; Liverjet injection of Batch No P-2017, manufactured by Cadila Pharma; Dhole and Dexamethasone Sodium of Batch No 1-47 and Phosphate injection of Batch No 1-23, manufactured by Parkin Remedies, Ghaziabad; Richomox caps of Batch No RMT-2011, manufactured by Richer Drugs Ltd, Hyderabad;Diclofenac Sodium tablets of Batch No 046, manufactured by Ortin Laboratories Ltd and Poly Vitamin tablets of Batch No A-1006B, manufactured by Akin Labs; Parcet IP tablets of Batvch No PCO 10403, manufactured by Bhavani Pharma, Jeedimetla, Hyderabad; IROW-Ftablets of Batch No IFA 2002 and IFA 2003, manufactured by TTC Pharma, Eluru, AP; Ciprox suspension of Batch No 140506, manufactured by Torque Pharma, Dappar and Inclox-L caps of Batch No ICL-001 made by Indomed Pharma.

P Ananthasayanam Reddy, Additional Director-General, Drus & Copyright, Drug Control Administration, in a press release, said the drug Erecta marketed as a male potency Ayurveda drug contained Sildenafil Citrate, the active ingredient in Viagra. The drug has been manufactured by Uni Biotech and marketed by Unichem Labs, Mumbai. The mixing up of the drug was detected by the DCA officials in Vijayawada during its month-long drive against spurious drugs and drugs 'not of standard quality.' Viagra was detected in two batches of Erecta Capsules seized from the premises of Vankadara Associates, Vijayawada. The drugs seized were worth Rs 1.77 lakh.

While one batch of Erecta was found to contain 28 % of Sildenafil Citrate, the other batch contained 29 %. According to DCA Director M Venkat Reddy, this is the first time this year that Ayurvedic drugs were found to have been laced with Sildenafil Citrate. The DCA officers have been put on high alert to prevent the manufacture, sale and distribution of Ayurvedic medicines laced with Allopathic drugs.

The DCA officials also organised raids on unlicensed medical shops and unqualified doctors and seized several drugs. Forty-five varieties of drugs were seized from Sai Krishna Medical and General Stores, Suryapet; 20 varieties of drugs marked as 'physician sample not for sale'were seized from Venkateswara Medical and General Stores, Pebbair, Wanaparthy, and 25 varieties of drugs were seized from an unauthorised medical dealer S Srinivas, Laxminagar, Godavarikani. Several drugs were seized from the clinic of an unqualified doctor A Someswarsa Rao, Dowleswaram, near Rajamundry.