Fake Drugs: Bengaluru SIT Probes Spurious Racket

Bengaluru authorities have formed a six-member Special Investigation Team (SIT) to investigate a counterfeit drug racket recently uncovered in Bidadi. This action follows claims by local pharmacists that the spurious medicines likely did not enter the standard retail supply chain. Instead, they may have been distributed to patients via hospital pharmacies, intermediaries, or online platforms.

The SIT, led by Bengaluru Joint Commissioner of Police (West) C. Vamshikrishna, will examine the case where four individuals were arrested after relabeled spurious drugs were discovered at a farmhouse. These particular medications are typically used in critical care settings like ICUs and cancer centers, and are not commonly stocked by retail pharmacies.

Chemists assert that their established distribution networks, from manufacturers to distributors and finally to retail chemists, leave little room for counterfeit products. However, they acknowledge that online medicine delivery systems, with their deep discounts and potentially weaker quality checks, could be avenues for spurious medicines to circulate. Concerns were also raised about intermediaries operating near hospitals who allegedly offer significant discounts to patients, potentially bypassing proper channels.

In response to the racket, chemists are urging the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to strengthen inspections and enforcement. They also advocate for tighter regulation of drug margins, suggesting that critical medicines should be classified as scheduled drugs with government-regulated prices.