Won’t Tolerate Supply, Sale Of Fake Medicines, Warns Odisha’s Health Minister

Jharsuguda: Odisha’s Health Minister Naba Kishore Das on Wednesday warned that the government won’t tolerate the supply and sale of fake medicines in the state.

The minister was responding to questions of mediapersons on the recent seizure of fake Telma-AM and Telma-40 tablets, which are used to treat high blood pressure, following raids on medicine stores and distributors in Cuttack and Bhubaneswar.

Das said raids will be intensified in the comings days and will be carried out in all districts of Odisha. “The law will take its course, no one will be spared,” he said.

The minister was in Jharsuguda to inaugurate a CT scan machine at the District Headquarters Hospital. Patients will not be charged for the facility.

State Drug Control Administration officials have carried out raids in Cuttack, Bhubaneswar and Berhampur city over the sale and supply of fake Telma-AM and Telma-40 tablets.

The Twin City Police Commissionerate on Tuesday arrested two persons on charges of supplying fake Telma-AM and Telma-40 tablets to retailers in Cuttack.

According to sources, the accused, Sanjay Jalal, owner of Puja Enterprises in Jaunliapati, registered in the name of his wife Chanchala, and Rahul Syal, proprietor of VR Drug Agency in Manik Ghosh Bazar, were arrested after being questioned by Purighat police.

The accused, who were absconding, had surrendered in Purighat police station on Monday.

Cuttack DCP Pinak Mishra said a five-day remand of the accused will be sought for further interrogation.

Duplicate Telma-AM and Telma-40 were seized by the state Drug Control Administration during raids on medicine stores in Cuttack and Bhubaneswar last week.

An FIR was lodged after pharmaceutical firm Glenmark clarified that the specific batch of the two medicines that were seized during the raids was not produced by the company.

Distributors had procured the spurious drugs from Bengaluru and Gaya and supplied those to more than 100 retailers.