In Brief:
- Counterfeit drugs worth over ₹5 crore were seized from an unlicensed facility in Bidadi near Bengaluru.
- Fake medicines were repackaged under top pharma labels and sold to hospitals at half price.
- Karnataka Health Minister UT Khader warned that some fake drugs were targeted for intensive care units.
- Police are probing the supply chain, while a reward was offered to the whistleblower.
Officials from the Food Safety and Drug Administration raided an unlicensed manufacturing unit in Bidadi, southwest of Bengaluru, uncovering a counterfeit medicine racket where spurious drugs worth over ₹5 crore were seized. The illicit operation involved sourcing fake pharmaceuticals from illegal units across India, repackaging them, and affixing labels of major multinational companies to sell to hospitals at nearly 50% below market rates. Alarmingly, Karnataka Health Minister UT Khader noted that some of these counterfeit drugs were intended for use in intensive care units (ICUs) and indicated the racket could be part of a larger nationwide network. Following the raid, the suspect was handed over to the police, with authorities under the Ramanagara Superintendent of Police currently investigating the entire supply chain and offering a reward for the whistleblower who provided the initial tip-off.
Source: NDTV
