Karnataka drugs control department has swooped down on several pharmacy outlets and production units seizing large quantities of not-of-standard quality drugs and detected facilities manufacturing medicines without licenses.

In a major inspection drive conducted between April 1 to May 31, 2010, the state's drugs control department carried out 1,813 inspection of sales premises, 57 blood banks and nine production plants. Show cause notices were issued to 217 sales outlets, four blood banks & blood storage units and one manufacturing plant for violating the Drugs & Cosmetics Act.

The enforcement team has suspended 71 sales licenses and cancelled 53 sales licenses, according to Dr BR Jagashetty, Karnataka drugs controller.

During the period between April 1 and 30, 2010, three prosecution cases were filed in the Court. In the same period, five cases were disposed off, of which three were convicted. Five complaints were received from public which are currently under investigation, he added.

The Drug Testing Laboratory received a total of 230 samples for analysis of which 14 samples were declared not-of-standard quality and investigations are being carried out. These included three companies in Bangalore: Mahendra Labs, Anglo French Drugs & Industries and Futura Surgicare.

Some of the drugs which were found for low content of the prescribed chemical composition and failed stability tests included: Ranitidine tablets produced by Venus Bio-Sciences at Solan in Himachal Pradesh, Phensedin Cough Linctus by Lincoin Parentrals, Gujarat, Dazit Suspension by SS Health Care, Hyderabad, Salbutamol tablets by Mahendra Labs in Bangalore, Clovas-05 or Clonazepam tablets by Theo Pharma at Gujarat, Enteric coated aspirin tablets by Cooper Pharma in Delhi, Delphan-D tablets by Innova Cap Tab at Baddi in Himachal Pradesh, Curepan-40 tablets by Knox Life Sciences at Solan in Himachal Pradesh, Epilan with Phenobarbitone tablets by Anglo French Drugs & Industries in Bangalore, Sparfloxacin tablets by Zee Laboratories at Paonta Sahib and Petcryl absorbable surgical suture of Futura Surgicare, Bangalore.

Further, there were also test reports from the Drug Test Lab at Baroda which reported that the Folic Acid & Ferrous tablets produced by Rajat Pharmchem, Ankleshwar in Gujarat was found to be of poor quality. These drugs were also proved by the Test Lab in Bangalore lacking in prescribed contents.

The state drugs control department has issued 323 fresh licenses for sales unit and permission was also granted for one manufacturing unit to start production.

Karnataka accounts for 23,868 pharmacy outlets, 170 blood banks, 60 blood storage centres, 280 drug manufacturing plants and 70 cosmetic production facilities. The total revenues from the state ending March 2010 was Rs 6,500 crore of which Rs 2, 500 crore has been the export earnings.