Karnataka drug control enforcement officers have raided the clinics of six quack doctors and seized drugs and booked cases against them. The clinics located were in northern districts of Karnataka.

The inspectors have also picked up samples at random from chemist outlets across the state and found them to be not-of-standard quality and afterwards they were tested at the Drug Test Labs at Bengaluru, Hubli and Bellary.  

The drugs include enzotime pepsin and fungal diatase syrup manufactured by Manan Health Care in Bengaluru, vesper oxytetracycline hydrochloride solution manufactured by Vesper Pharmaceuticals Bengaluru, arpitor 10 or  atrovastatin manufactured by RPG Lifesciences Ankleshwar, akayci injection manufactured by Brihans Laboratories at Jalgaon, nimesulide and paracetamol tablets manufactured by MDC Pharmaceuticals in Baddi, esomeprazole tablets by Nikvin Healthcare in Baddi, folgel plus manufactured Universal Medicare at Bengaluru, Glotek and Gloreb-D tablets which are rabeprazole sodium and domeperidone manufactured by Lifewin Remedies at Solan district in Himachal Pradesh.

Another set of drugs found to be not-of-standard quality were Vofee manufactured by Zee Labs in Paonta Sahib, Zovi ointment manufactured by Lyra labs at Solan district in Himachal Pradesh, Ciprolac-500 containing ciprofloxin hydrochloride manufactured by Ultratech Pharmaceuticals in Solan, Rounim-P containing nimesulide and paracetamol tablets by  CB Healthcare at Solan district, Rabger containing rabeprazole sodium and domeperidone manufactured by Konis Pharmaceuticals at Solan district, Inolee- 500 containing levofloxacin hemihydrate manufactured by HL Healthcare in Himachal Pradesh. Noresx-400 which contains norfloxacin with betacyclodextrin manufactured by Century Drugs at Pithampur, Markmox-250 which is a dispersible amoxycillin tablet manufactured by Unimark Remedies at Solan district in Himachal Pradesh, Omipride –OD by Dallas Formulations in Baddi, Adrenaline Tartrate injection manufactured by Harson Labs in Baroda, Neocip -500 which contains ciprofloxacin hydrochloride manufactured by Shivalik Remedies in Haridwar.

The drugs were tested at the department’s labs located in Bengaluru, Bellary and Hubli and the reports were dispatched to the pharma companies engaged in its production.

In order to ensure that these drugs are not prescribed, the department has made efforts to alert the medical practitioners and hospitals not to recommend  these drugs and the over 23,000 chemist outlets  in the state have also been informed to refrain from stocking these medicines. The general public is forewarned to ensure they do not purchase these drugs.

According to Raghurama Bhandary , drugs controller, government of Karnataka, the inspections are a regular feature to keep the not-of standard formulations at bay.