The Maharashtra FDA has acted against 880 drug manufacturing and sales establishments in a three-month drive. The action highlights a wider enforcement push under Tukaram Mundhe against unsafe and unauthorised medicines.
The Maharashtra Food and Drug Administration acted against 880 drug manufacturing and sales establishments and seized illegal medicines and cosmetics worth Rs 11.41 crore between June and August.
The action comes as FDA Commissioner Tukaram Mundhe has stepped up inspections of hotels, pubs and eateries, cracking the whip on businesses flouting rules to ensure food safety and regulatory compliance across the state.
DRUGS UNITS FACE ACTION
During the latest three-month drive, FDA teams conducted 2,902 inspections: 607 at manufacturing establishments and 2,295 at sales outlets.
Regulatory action was taken against 140 manufacturing units and 740 sales establishments. The department suspended 677 licences and cancelled 203 licences, the FDA said in a press release.
It also carried out 104 search-and-seizure operations, registered 20 FIRs and arrested 21 people in cases involving illegal drugs and cosmetics.
The seized stock was valued at Rs 11.41 crore. The FDA said this compared with Rs 13.64 crore worth of goods seized during the previous financial year.
UNSAFE MEDICINES UNDER SCRUTINY
The inspections uncovered a range of violations, including the manufacture of substandard and unauthorised medicines, gaps in quality-control procedures and production records, and the sale of medicines without the supervision of registered pharmacists.
Officials also found medicines being sold without bills, scheduled drugs being dispensed without prescriptions, expired medicines being improperly handled and temperature-sensitive products such as insulin and vaccines being stored incorrectly.
The department said enforcement had increased sharply compared with the previous financial year. Complaints rose 557 per cent, while investigations into complaints were up 378 per cent. Search-and-seizure operations increased 217 per cent and the value of seized goods rose 234 per cent, according to the FDA.