Illegal insulin worth Rs 59.12 lakh seized in Hyderabad

The said insulin injections were being sold at substantial discounts of more than 40 percent by the wholesalers and are suspected to be either illegally diverted from the supply chain (or) spurious drugs, thereby raising concerns about their authenticity.

Hyderabad: The TS Drugs Control Administration (TSDCA) conducted raids between March 15 and 20 at six different wholesalers in Hyderabad and detected huge quantities of ‘Insulin’ Injections (Pre-filled Pens) that were procured illegally from drug wholesalers in New Delhi without purchase bills.

The said insulin injections were being sold at substantial discounts of more than 40 percent by the wholesalers and are suspected to be either illegally diverted from the supply chain (or) spurious drugs, thereby raising concerns about their authenticity.

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In the process, the DCA seized stocks with a total worth of Rs. 51.92 lakh during the raids.

Upon verifying the sale bills of the wholesalers, it was revealed that they were offering the insulin injections, which were sourced from New Delhi, without any accompanying bills, with substantial discounts of more than 40 percent.

For instances, a product with an MRP of Rs. 5263 was being offered for sale at Rs. 2070 by the wholesaler, which is highly unusual, thereby raising concerns about their authenticity, DG, TSDCA, V B Kamalasan Reddy said.

The six wholesalers where the raids were conducted include Drug Hub, Padmaraonagar, Sree Thirumala Pharma, Ramanthapur, Uppal, Shree Paras Medical Agencies, Vittal Maruti lane, Sultan Bazaar, Sri Ganesh Pharma Distributors, Sai Nagar colony, Nagole, Medchal-Malkajgiri, Sree Raja Rajeswara Distributors, Jai Jawan Colony, Kapra and Sri Balaji Agencies at Quthibiguda, Kachiguda.

Enquiries with the wholesalers disclosed that the stocks of insulin injections were supplied illegally without bills by Bhagwati Pharma, Ram Gali, Film Colony, Bhagirath Palace, Delhi and by Royal Drugs, Bhagirath Palace, New Delhi.

Procuring medicines illegally without purchase bills is a violation of Drugs and Cosmetics Act, 1940. Such an act is considered fraudulent behavior primarily because it involves health and safety risks, illegal procurement of medicines without proper documentation raises significant health and safety concerns.

Without purchase bills, the quality, authenticity, and safety of the medicines cannot be verified, posing risks to consumers’ health. Such acts also could indicate tax evasion, as it prevents accurate reporting of expenses and revenue related to the procurement and sale of medicines.