The Special Task Force (STF) of the Crime Branch on Wednesday arrested three persons in connection with spurious drugs trade in the State.
According to sources, the STF arrested the director and two employees of Medilloyd Medicament Private Limited for their alleged involvement in the illegal trade of the duplicate medicines.
The three accused were forwarded to the court and over Rs 50 lakh stashed in the bank account of the accused has been seized. Further investigation into the case was ongoing, said STF officials.
Recently, a huge stock of spurious ‘Favipiravir’, a prescribed drug for Covid-19 treatment, was seized from a chemist shop in Cuttack.
Medilloyd Medicament Private Limited in Kanika Chhak, Cuttack was raided on June 11 by Drugs Inspectors for the procurement and stocking of spurious Favipiravir Tablets (Favimax-400), allegedly manufactured by Max Relief Health Care, Solan, Himachal Pradesh, reportedly a non-existing manufacturer. Out of the available stock of 17,400 tablets, 400 tablets were drawn for statutory testing and the balance 17,000 tablets were seized under the provision of the Drugs and Cosmetics Act and Rules thereunder.
Following the seizure of spurious drugs in Cuttack, many chemist shops across the State were raided to investigate the root of the duplicate drugs trade.
The STF’s success in nabbing the accused is significant because counterfeit pharmaceuticals and medical supplies are a transnational organised crime and criminal syndicates want to encash on the turmoil caused by the pandemic.
Substandard or falsified medical products can harm patients and fail to treat the diseases for which they were intended. Their very existence poses an unacceptable risk to public health.They lead to loss of confidence in medicines, healthcare providers and health systems, according to experts.
