Hyderabad: Telangana accounts for over 35% of India’s pharmaceutical production, with Hyderabad earning the moniker ‘Bulk Drug Capital of India’.
The State has seen substantial growth in the pharmaceutical sector over the past few years. This growth, however, has also brought challenges, including a rise in the production and sale of spurious, unauthorised and counterfeit drugs.
Between January and July 2024, the Telangana Drugs Control Administration (DCA) conducted 12,575 inspections; this led to 277 seizures for various violations, 1,963 instances of departmental action, and 51 convictions.
The seizures, included six cases of spurious drugs; 61 cases of overpricing; 98 cases under the Drug and Magic Remedies (Objectionable Advertisements) Act, 1954; 34 cases involving unlicensed medical shops and warehouses; 14 cases of medicines marketed as food products; three cases of unlicensed cosmetics manufacturing; and two cases of production and sale of banned drugs.
According to the DCA, the State has 702 drug manufacturing units, 53 approved drug testing labs, 273 blood centres and 43,023 medical shops.
Some of the major seizure incidents by the DCA include a search in March at Kodad in Suryapet, where a person was found operating an unlicensed medical shop, leading to a seizure of stock worth ₹12.3 lakh. In April, unauthorised drug manufacturing was uncovered at Ovoid Pharmachem in Jeedimetla, Medchal Malkajgiri, leading to seizure of stocks worth ₹23.9 lakh.
Additionally, the DCA targeted clinics run by quacks (unqualified medical practitioners), conducting 59 searches and seizing medicines worth ₹33.16 lakh over the seven-month period.
