Hyderabad: The Drugs Control Administration (DCA) of Warangal Zone conducted several raids on Tuesday, August 27 and Wednesday, August 28 that uncovered several violations, like illegal manufacture and sale of drugs mislabeled as ‘food products/nutraceuticals.’
The product, ‘Fer-XT Tablets’ (Ferrous Ascorbate and Folic Acid Tablets), was falsely marketed as a food product/nutraceutical under an FSSAI license.
The tablets claimed to contain 100 mg of ferrous ascorbate and 1.5 mg of folic acid, were illegally produced at Alfansa Bio Pvt Ltd in Hyderabad. They were then marketed by Phelix Health Care in New Delhi.
According to the label, the product should be classified as a drug under the Drugs and Cosmetics Act and must be manufactured under a proper drug license, adhering to Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP) and quality standards set by the Indian Pharmacopoeia (IP).
Drugs inspector P Pavani led the raid and seized the tablets at a medical shop in Karimnagar. Samples were collected for further analysis.
Seizure over misleading advertisements
In a separate operation, DCA officials targeted medicines, making misleading claims about treating ‘Peptic Ulcer’ and ‘Fever’. These claims are banned under the Drugs and Magic Remedies (Objectionable Advertisements) Act, 1954.
The products seized included Coolsure Plus Suspension (Allopathic), which falsely claimed to treat peptic ulcers. Manufactured by Aspen Life Sciences in Amritsar, it was found in Mailardevpally, Rangareddy district. Another product, Bhringaraja Churnam (Ayurvedic), was advertised for fever treatment. It was manufactured by Samraksha Ayurvedic Pharmacy in Kukatpally and detected in Prashanthi Nagar.
The advertisements violate the Act, which prohibits such claims and could lead to penalties including imprisonment for up to six months or fines.
Raid on quacks
On August 27, DCA officials raided the clinic of Devaji Vilas Patil, a quack practising without proper qualifications at Santosh Clinic in Jagathgiri Gutta, Medchal-Malkajgiri district.
The raid revealed 32 varieties of unlicensed medicines, including antibiotics and steroids, with a total value of Rs 15,000. The indiscriminate sale of these medicines poses severe health risks, including antimicrobial resistance and adverse effects from steroid misuse.
Officials, led by E Thirupathi and other inspectors, seized the stock and samples for further analysis. Further investigation is underway.
DCA has urged citizens to report any suspected illegal drug manufacturing or distribution activities to the DCA Telangana toll-free number: 1800-599-6969, available from 10:30 am to 5:00 pm on working days.
