The drugs control department of Tamil Nadu has cancelled the license of a homeo medical store in Nagerkovil district and prosecuted two other stores in Kanyakumari district for selling alcohol contained homeo medicines.

The state drug controller, M Bhaskaran said following an advertisement in some media that certain homeo medical shops were selling some unsafe and harmful homeo drugs, the law enforcement agency had to act.

He said the license of St Mary's Homeo medical store in Nagerkovil was cancelled and prosecuted for non-maintenance of proper documents. Prosecutions were also initiated against T S Homeo Medical Stores and Majestic Homeo medicals in Nagerkovil for the same reasons.

The Drugs Controller said the Department officials would further conduct surprise checks on all the homeo medical stores in other districts of the state.

Sources from the drugs control department said there are many cases of sale of alcohol contained homeo drugs in the southern districts of the state. They recalled that some members in the state legislature assembly last year had raised the issue when the session was going on.

In the drugs consultative committee held in December last year, the then drugs regulator of Tamil Nadu had put a suggestion to curb the illegal movement and misuse of homeopathic drugs containing more than 12 per cent v/v alcohol.

He had also demanded that there should be a provision in the drugs and cosmetic rules stating that the manufacturer or dealer who supplied the drug containing more than 12 percent v/v alcohol, had to inform the same to the state licensing authority.