FDA cancels 16, suspends eight drug licences in Karnataka

The Karnataka Food Safety and Drugs Administration (FDA) has cancelled 16 drug licences and suspended eight others in response to an investigation into a suspected counterfeit medicine network near Bidadi. The probe, which began after a tip-off in August, has led to the seizure of medicines, machinery, and packaging materials from an unlicensed facility in Kurubarakeranahalli, near Bidadi.

Authorities seized medicines and materials worth ₹5.05 crore during a raid on August 18. The FDA has blocked the batch numbers of the seized drugs on its portal and sent samples for laboratory testing to verify their chemical composition, sterility, and potency. The investigation uncovered that the facility was refilling low-cost medications from neighboring states into new vials and relabeling them as expensive brands, particularly imitating imported products under the Pfizer name.

The counterfeit labels were found to have nonfunctional QR and scanning codes. The facility operated without the required licences under the Drugs and Cosmetics Act, 1940, and the FDA has registered a criminal case under Section 17 B of the act, which deals with spurious drugs. The licence of M/s Pfizer C & F Depot has also been suspended.

A special investigation team (SIT) has been formed to trace the supply chain and identify those involved in obtaining, distributing, and selling the counterfeit medicines. The FDA is urging patients to buy life-saving medicines only from licensed pharmacies with valid tax invoices and to report suspicious packaging or non-functional QR codes.