The State drugs control department has detected two major offences in violation of the Drugs & Cosmetics Act involving a medical practitioner in a state government hospital and a veterinary drug manufacturer in the last two days.

In the first case a medical practitioner at a General Hospital in Kanakapura taluk in Ramanagara district found to be siphoning of medicines for 'hospital use only' and storing them at his residence. Following a tip off from the Karnataka department of Health and Family Welfare, a team from the DPC Cell of the State drugs control department seized the drugs from the residence of the doctor.

The drugs belonged to the General Hospital and were sourced from the Karnataka Drugs and Logistics Warehouse. The drug inspection team found that the medicines were for varied therapeutic uses. The drugs control department seized the drugs following violations of the D&C Act, Section 18(c) where stocking of drugs without license was a serious offence. The State government's health and family welfare department has suspended the doctor and the District Health Officer, according to Dr. BR Jagashetty, the state Drugs Controller.

In the other case, a licensed veterinary drug manufacturer has breached the Rule 69 of the Drugs & Cosmetics Act by manufacturing products for which the licenses were not obtained. The small scale animal health formulation unit, Ramachandra Pharma Chem located in the Bommasandra Industrial Area in the outskirts of Bangalore sought production licenses for drugs used for treating ticks in pet animals. The products were to be manufactured as generic versions of Cypermethrin which is one of the most important insecticides used in animal health care. Another drug was Flumytherine which is also recommended to control ticks growth in pet animals. The company violated the rule and went on to manufacture branded versions such as Tickmar and Puton solutions when the permission was granted only for generic drugs. In the case of the third drug Dispel in 1.25 per cent concentration, the company violated the license provisions and manufactured the same in double the strength (Dispel solution in 2.5 per cent concentration), explained Dr. Jagashetty.

The drugs control department will be filing case for prosecution as part of the action against the manufacturer.

Every effort is being made by the department through constant vigil and surprise checks that violations are controlled. Karnataka has around 205 units and the drugs control team of inspectors have been clamping down companies that are breaking the rules of the Drugs & Cosmetics Act, added Dr. Jagashetty.