The Karnataka drugs control department has seized codeine  phosphate cough syrup for sale without license which violates the Drugs & Cosmetics Act Section 18 c. The seized drug was valued at Rs.13,000 stocked in a residence in Bidar in north Karnataka. The accused has been arrested and an FIR has been filed.

In addition, the department has cancelled two retail licenses in Bengaluru as the outlets were found to store codeine phosphate cough syrup and Fortwin injection without the adequate permissions  which violates the D&C Act, Raghurama Bhandary, Karnataka drugs controller told Pharmabiz.

During its surprise inspection drive, the state drugs control department’s enforcement wing has also picked up seven drug samples at random from the pharmacy outlets across the state. These were iron and folic acid tablets of Medicamen Biotech from Haridwar in Uttarakhand. A vitamin B complex injection under the brand name Combivat manufactured by Martin & Biosciences Baddi in Himachal Pradesh was found to be failing the test of not of standard quality from the Drug Test Lab at Bengaluru.

Another drug aceclofenac tablets sold under the brand Acifact manufactured by Oxford Pharma in Haridwar also the failed the test at the Drug Test Lab in Bengaluru.

Further drugs like Nasiwar Cold tablets manufactured by Meridian Medicare in Solan district, flavoured dispersible amoxycillin trihydrate tablets by Mino Pharm Laboratories in Pernamitta in Andhra Pradesh, Calcium Citrate, vitamin D, Di Calcium phosphate, magnesium and zinc tablets sold under the brand name ‘Jocare’ manufactured by DR John Labs in Haridwar and cefuroxime axetil tablets sold under brand name Orvatol-500 mg manufactured by Roseate Medicare in Solan district in Himachal Pradesh were also declared to be not-of-standard quality, according to the reports issued from the Drug Test Lab at Bengaluru.

The drugs department has now cautioned all pharmacy outlets and healthcare providers in the state to refrain from selling and prescribing these drugs.

There is need to test the drugs and the department has been engaged in this exercise to ensure that the end-user has access to quality drugs which are efficacious, stated Drugs controller Bhandary.