Expired medicine, products bearing forged MNC labels, injection vials worth ₹3.38 crore seized in Bengaluru
Authorities in Bengaluru seized counterfeit and expired medicines worth nearly ₹5 crore from an unlicensed repacking unit. The operation involved relabeling low-cost drugs with the names of major multinational pharmaceutical companies.
Why it matters
This highlights significant public health risks and the prevalence of illegal pharmaceutical supply chains in urban centers.
The largest component of the stock worth ₹4.91 crore seized from an alleged unlicensed drug repacking unit near Bidadi on August 18 comprised 5,640 vials of CEFIAVIGENT 2.5 Injection, valued at ₹3.38 crore. Bidadi is on the outskirts of Bengaluru.
The seizure, made by the Drug Enforcement Wing of the Karnataka Food Safety and Drug Administration, has brought under scrutiny the alleged practice of repacking lower-cost medicines and relabelling them as expensive products, including carrying the names of multinational pharmaceutical companies.
Giving details about the inspection, Health Minister U.T. Khader told presspersons on August 19 that the seized CEFIAVIGENT vials listed Eucratia Healthcare Private Limited as the manufacturer. The team also seized 1,531 vials of HIZLAM Injectables, carrying the name of Welcure Remedies, and valued at ₹52.24 lakh.
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