In a major crackdown, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has unearthed a major substandard medicine racket in a government-operated hospital and seized 21,600 tablets of Ciprofloxacin. Shockingly, the drug was procured through the contract process last year by the District Civil Surgeon. The seized stock was traced to the Government’s storage facility at Indira Gandhi Government Medical College and Hospital (IGGMCH). Kalmeshwar Police have booked three persons in connection: the prime accused, Vijay Shailendra Choudhary, a resident of Thane; Hemant Dhondiba Mule, a resident of Latur; and Mihir Trivedi, a resident of Bhiwandi. Laboratory tests conducted at the Government Laboratory in Mumbai revealed that the provided drug lacked any medicinal value, said Kalmeshwar police officials.

Initiating the investigation, FDA officials collected samples of Recip-500 tablets containing Ciprofloxacin from a Rural Hospital in Kalmeshwar in March 2023.

 

The samples were sent to the Government Laboratory for testing, and the results, received in December 2023, indicated a complete absence of medicinal value in the tablets. In response to the findings, the FDA conducted a raid at the Government store at IGGMC and seized a stock of 21,600 tablets. A case has been registered under Sections 420, 468, 471, 276, and 34 of the Indian Penal Code at Kalmeshwar Police Station. Further investigation revealed that the spurious drug was manufactured by a fictitious company named Refined Pharma in Gujarat, a company that does not exist anywhere in India. The prime accused, Choudhary, was previously arrested in a case related to the sale of counterfeit medicines. Choudhary supplied the drug to Trivedi, who then passed it on to Mule, ultimately reaching the Government, according to police officials.