NEW DELHI: After a series of raids by Delhi Police that busted a racket selling counterfeit cancer medicines, the Drugs Control Department has launched a city-wide crackdown to capture dealers of fake drugs.
Following initial inspections, the department has issued notices to 12 wholesale drug dealers after finding irregularities in the purchase and sale records of several medicines. The dealers have been asked to respond within 15 days, failing which action will be taken.
“Separate teams led by 10 drug inspectors have been formed to carry out inspections in two phases,” a senior official from the Drugs Control Department said. “The first phase began last week, while the second will start from Monday. These teams are visiting various locations across the city, inspecting medicines sold at both wholesale and retail shops. Our primary focus is on anti-cancer drugs, given the recent surge in counterfeit cases.”
Teams have collected more than 160 drug samples so far from dealers at drug markets in Bhagirath Place, Laxmi Nagar, and Dwarka, including shops located near major hospitals like AIIMS, Safdarjung, and Rajiv Gandhi Cancer Hospital, officials said.
According to officials, 80 per cent of these samples are cancer medicines, which are often targeted by counterfeiters due to their high market value.
“The samples have been sent to laboratories in Chandigarh for faster analysis as Delhi has only one drug testing facility,” an official from the drugs dept said. Officials said the high price of cancer medicines makes them a frequent target for counterfeiters.
In the first week of June alone, the Crime Branch carried out three separate raids and arrested six people for selling fake cancer drugs.
These counterfeit drugs, often marked “Not for Sale in India,” were purchased for a few thousand rupees and sold to patients between Rs 50,000 and Rs 70,000 while genuine market value of cancer drugs ranges from Rs 1.5 to Rs 2 lakh, officials said.
Officials said the racket has also infiltrated hospitals. “Empty vials of original medicines are allegedly being sold to unscrupulous dealers, who refill them with fake substances. These are then pushed back into the supply chain and sold to unsuspecting patients through pharmacies and online platforms,” an official added.
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