DCA revokes the license of six wholesalers for 30 days

Hyderabad: The Drugs Control Administration (DCA) in Telangana has taken strict action and cancelled the licences of six wholesalers in the state for 30 days and seized medicines worth over Rs 51 lakh.

The reason for the suspension of the license was the illegal purchase of insulin and syringes (prefilled pens) without proof of purchase, according to a press release published here. The measure was accompanied by the initiation of criminal proceedings against the wholesalers.

In raids between March 15 and 20 at six drug dealers in Hyderabad, the DCA found that insulin syringes procured from New Delhi without purchase receipts were being sold by the wholesalers at heavy discounts of over 40%. The DCA seized stocks worth Rs 51.92 lakh in the raids for procuring stocks without purchase receipts.

The raids were carried out at six drug distributors: M/s Drug Hub at Padmaraonagar, Secunderabad (where stocks worth Rs 6.70 lakh were seized), M/s Sree Thirumala Pharma, Ramanthapur, Uppal (drugs worth Rs 3.52 lakh seized) and Shree Paras Medical Agencies, Sultan Bazar (drugs worth Rs 9 lakh seized). A raid was carried out at Sri Ganesh Pharma Distributors, Sainagar Colony, Nagole (seized drugs worth Rs 14 lakh), Sree Raja Rajeshwara Distributors, Kapra (Rs 2.7 lakh) and Sri Balaji Agencies, Kacheguda (drugs worth Rs 16 lakh).

Examination of the wholesalers’ sales invoices revealed that they were offering the insulin syringes, which were procured from New Delhi without corresponding invoices, at significant discounts of over 40 percent. The drugs were procured illegally from Delhi and are suspected to have been illegally removed from the supply chain. Illegal acquisition of drugs without purchase invoices is a violation of the Drugs and Cosmetics Act, 1940. Illegal acquisition of drugs without purchase invoices is considered fraudulent.

The DCA not only initiated criminal prosecution against the wholesalers but also took strict departmental action by revoking their drug licenses.