Maharashtra Food and Drug Administration has booked pharma majors Elder Pharmaceuticals, Semit Pharma, Aristo pharmaceuticals and Banner Pharma caps for manufacturing and marketing nutraceuticals without valid drug license. The state FDA has also seized Glacex of Banner Pharma from GSK's godown, it is learnt.

The stocks of Elder pharma's famous calcium suppliment Mega Shelcal, Semit's I- Vit, Cromoplex Cap, manufactured by Madras Pharmaceuticals and marketed by Aristo Pharmaceutical Limited were seized.

"The total stock seized is worth Rs 3 crores. The products worth Rs 12 lakh of Elder pharma, about 1.62 lakh of Aristo and Rs 2.07 crores of Banner Pharmacap are seized till now. These products will be prohibited in Maharashtra unless the companies take drug manufacturing licenses. We have seized Glacex of Banner Pharma from GSK godown. Though GSK is not mentioned on the label of the product, GSK is involved in either marketing or distributing the product in Maharashtra," said the senior FDA official.

As Pharmabiz had reported earlier, Maharashtra FDA has decided that nutraceuticals and food supplements with functional claims on their label will be allowed for sale in the state only with valid drug manufacturing licenses. The FDA had issued an order banning nutraceuticals and food supplements with functional claims on their labels since July 1, 2005.