Illegal supply of medicines: Drug controller warns chemists

Illegal supply of medicines
Drug controller warns chemists
Archit Watts
Tribune News Service

Jammu, August 2
The Drugs and Food Control Organisation has warned the chemists and druggists in the state to stop the illegal practices as the organisation is all set to launch a massive drive against the defaulters.

Giving the information, after the recent confiscation of a consignment worth Rs 3.5 lakh at Lakhanpur, which was being imported to the state without purchase bills, Lotika Khajuria, deputy controller, Drugs and Food Control Organisation Jammu, said, “The organisation has directed all its officials to remain vigilant throughout the day and launch a massive drive against these law violators.”

Khajuria said that acting on a tip-off, the organisation recently confiscated a consignment worth Rs 3.5 lakh under the provision of the Drugs and Cosmetics Act, 1940.

The consignment comprised of four cartons containing Ximeceff-200 and Lupicef CL200 of various batches manufactured by Akums Drugs and Pharmaceuticals Limited, SIDCUL, Haridwar. It was being imported to the state without purchasing bills, which is an illegal act, Khajuria added.

The raid was conducted by Sanjeev Gupta, Drug Inspector, Kathua, who intercepted a truck at the toll post in Lakhanpur, which was carrying certain medicines bound for Srinagar to be delivered to Sane Enterprises, Masooma, Srinagar.

Gupta said that it was detected that the medicines were being imported into the state without purchase bills and during the investigations, involvement of all offenders was established.

It has been learnt from the past incidents that the smuggling of drugs, medicines and various other products from Punjab to J&K has become rampant and the officials of the Excise and Taxation Department proved a failure in curbing it.