Maharashtra FDA in a series of raids in the state has seized stocks of spurious drugs valued at Rs.1.1 crore from manufacturers spread across different regions during last 18 months.

Eleven of these raids were pertaining to the manufacture of spurious Zandu Balm, Vicks Vaporub and Iodex. Four raids were related to spurious Combiflam manufacture while three were cases where the names of the additives were not displaced on the label. In four cases, the drugs seized were not containing the active ingredients mentioned on the label. In two cases, Corex cough syrup and Verorab injection caught were found to be spurious in nature. In five cases the spurious drugs sized were found to contain the labels of some other companies. All these cases are under various stages of litigations.

"It is easy to get hold of spurious drug manufacturers in Maharashtra as being a developed state, residents are alert enough to judge something fishy in the neighborhood. Moreover FDA is well networked in the state with every district having a FDA quarter," said Omprakash Sadhwani, Assitant Commissioner, Intelligence Bureau, Maharashtra FDA.

Citing examples of suspicious activities, Sadhwani added, "One of our informers was a printing press owner who called us to inform about a client of his asking to print medicine labels. In another case, the wholesaler refused to take stock from his regular supplier citing reason that a third party would supply the same brand at a cheaper rate. A majority of our successful raids were on those dealers or stockists who refuse to offer a bill for the products purchased."

About 80 per cent of spurious drug activity takes place in the northern states like Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Bihar, Delhi, Rajasthan and Gujarat, he said.

Apart from spurious drug activities, there have been separate instances in 2003 where FDA has been able to catch hold of other violators of law in pharma trade.

Mumbai-based Akshay Enterprises, when raided was found to have stocked drugs worth Rs. 85, 000 without license. "Stocked drugs, when further checked were found to contain spurious Metanix and Cifran 500 tablets," said Sadhwani.

Unauthorised traders, Ghatkopar-based Tejas Enterprises and Bhayandar-based Pharmalink Distributors were caught with illegal trafficking of Buprenorphine and Tidigesic injections to countries in Africa and Central Asia.

Maharashtra FDA has also been able to catch a cyber crime. Recently, Jignesh Kolwalkar of Dahisar-based Asia Soft Systems was caught with supplying antibiotics and sex stimulants to overseas buyers under the website "metabs.com". The Dahisar police have been able to arrest two people in this regard.

More recently, Maharashtra Antibiotics and Pharmaceuticals, a Nagpur-based state government owned pharma company and Mumbai-based Plus Pharmaceuticals have been charged with violation of Drugs & Cosmetics Act and DPCO 1995. Here Plus sold drugs of MAPL at prices above the ceiling price. "The case is under judicial consideration. An involvement of MAPL in the crime is yet to be proved," said Sadhwani.