The Tamil Nadu Drugs Control Administration has booked 25 pharma retail outlets selling painkillers and antibiotics over the counter without sales bills and without prescriptions, where Chikungunya disease is spreading in some areas in Tamil Nadu.

The DCA booked some of the medical retail outlets after surprise raids at Chennai, Tiruppur, Nagapattinam, Namakkal, Karur and nearby districts, last week. The administration formed teams of drug inspectors under Assistant Drugs Controller of the relevant district to investigate and report on the information gathered from various sources, according to a press release.

The authority has booked nine retail outlets from Karur, four from Chennai, three from Tirupur, two each from Nagapattinam, Namakkal, Avarakurichi and one each from Chinnadharapuram, Puliyur and Pallapatti, for selling drugs for treatment of Chuckungunya without prescription and sales bills. Cases were charged under provisions for violating sales rules of the Drugs and Cosmetics Act 1940, added officials.

The outlets were involved in selling drugs like paracetamol, ibuprofen and naproxen, which have an increased demand in the wake of Chickungunya cases. The outlets were selling these prescription drugs without prescriptions from doctors or paramedical staffs and without proper sales bills, according to N Selvaraju, Drug Controller (in-charge).

"The market of these drugs has increased due to the increasing threat of Chickungunya in the state, which prompted the retailers make some quick money. At present we don't have exact statistics on sales of these drugs as it is passing through an unorganized market. Further investigations are on to comprehend information to assess the size of the market for such drug sales," Selvaraju told Pharmabiz.

He also added that the authority will strictly monitor the sales activities of retail outlets in the coming weeks and has warned the retail chemists that legal actions like cancellation of licenses and action through police department would be initiated against the outlets which violate the provisions of the Drugs and Cosmetics Act 1940.