Karnataka drugs control department has seized 20 drugs during its inspection drive carried over two days on June 9 and 12,2014.

Its enforcement team embarked on a surprise inspection spree and picked up samples of 20 drugs and found it to be not of standard drugs. In its first drive on June 9, the drugs picked up were  Ronemox which is an Amoxicillin Trihdrate dispersible tablet  manufactured by Scott Edil Pharmcia in Jharmajri,  Solan district Himachal Pradesh.Optivit multivitamin injection o Optima Healthcare in Indore, Paracid containing Diminazene Aceturate injection by Vesper Pharmaceuticals in Bengaluru, Flucol manufactured by Skan Research Lab at Puducherry, Raberprazole sodium tablets by DM Phamra in Solan district in Himachal Pradesh, Nimuphen C Tablets manufactured by Trisun Formulations in Puducherry, Safyvit which is a Pregabalin and Methycobalim capsule manufactured by Pinnacle Lifesciences in Solan district at Himachal Pradesh. Mepyn which is a Mecobalamin, Alphalipoc acid and vitamin tablets manufactured by Japshichem at Nalagarh in Himachal Pradesh , paracetamol 500 mg and Losartan tablets  manufactured by Karnataka Antibiotics and Pharmaceuticals Limited.

On the  second day, the drugs control enforcement wing seized nine drugs. These were the Nimesulide injection manufactured by SVP Lifesciences at Dehradun, Liquid Amitraz Dip Concentrate for Samrudh Packaging, Nimodus Plus containing Nimesulide and Paracetamol manufactured by Flourish Pharm at Daman, Omeprazole from Newtramax Healthcare at Paonta Sahib in Himachal Pradesh, Losartain tablets of 25 mg by Karnataka Antibiotics and Pharmaceuticals Limited, tincture Iodone by Sovereign Remedies in Indore and Famotidine tablets by Anchor Pharma in Daman.

“These drugs were tested at the department’s labs at Bengaluru and Hubli,” said Raghurama Bhandary, drugs controller, Karnataka.

The department has also issued a communication to all the 25,000 pharmacy trade outlets across the state and its hospital pharmacies. Further, it has also alerted the doctors not to prescribe the drugs and the public are also to take caution if they are prescribed to do.

The drugs control department has also intimated the pharma companies to withdraw the stocks. The pharmacy outlets are instructed to keep the remaining strips of the these drugs found to be substandard as it failed to have the required active ingredient or lost its strength of the bulk drug because of poor storage practices, he added.

From a department perspective, these inspections are both frequent and with no advance notice which keep the pharmacy trade and the drug manufacturers on their toes to constantly ensure the quality contents and the maintain the recommended supply chain and storage practices.