Karnataka drugs control department has issued 326 show cause notices for violations in the pharmacy trade, blood banks and manufacturing units. It has suspended 83 pharmacy trade licenses. Among the drug manufacturing units, it has cancelled 51 sale licenses.

These inspections were carried out between August 1 and 31 as a mandatory drive implemented by the drugs control department.

The department has also issued 229 new licenses for the pharmacy trade and six for manufacturing units.

During this period, eight prosecution cases were filed in the court. Eight cases were disposed of which seven were convicted. There were 26 complaints made by the public to the drugs control department on the issues of drug quality and these are being investigated, according to Dr B R Jagashetty, drugs controller, government of Karnataka.

In the drugs test lab located within the state drugs control department in Bangalore, 324 samples were analyzed, of which 13 were declared as not of standard quality and investigations are being carried out.

The state has around 21,724 pharmacy outlets, 168 blood banks and 240 manufacturing units in the State.