IndiaBreaking
Archived — This article has been archived. The information may be outdated.
Karnataka seizes Rs 4.91 crore fake drugs near Bengaluru
NDTV··20 Aug
On 18 August 2026, Karnataka's Drug Enforcement Wing raided an unlicensed farmhouse unit at Kurubarakeranahalli, Bidadi, and seized medicines and equipment valued at about Rs 4.91 crore. Officials said cheaper drugs were refilled into new vials and labelled as costly multinational brands. Health Minister U.T. Khader said the stock had reached hospitals and pharmacies, including intensive-care use.
Prism
What It Means For You
- If you were treated in a Karnataka hospital or bought an injection from a pharmacy, the minister said relabelled ICU medicines were among the seized stock.
- Anyone who scans a medicine code can note officials found forged labels whose scanning codes did not work.
- If you work in a pharmacy, the raid is being treated as part of an interstate supply chain, not a one-site packing job.
What's Happening
- The 18 August inspection at No. 34, Kurubarakeranahalli, Bidadi, found filling machinery, forged labels and packaging with no manufacturing or storage licence.
- Seized items also included 470 vials of Xavitaz and 165 vials of Zavicefta, according to the FDA tally.
- Khader said Prashanth, described as a medical representative, had leased the land for about Rs 10 lakh a year and had been relabelling for about one and a half years.
How The Bidadi Unit Was Allegedly Fed
- The minister said cheaper drugs were procured from fake manufacturing units in Himachal Pradesh, Telangana and other states, then relabelled as imported brands for shops and hospitals.
- The Hindu reported the facility was being examined for whether expired stock was being put back into the supply chain under the Drugs and Cosmetics Act, 1940.
- Deccan Herald said a department video showed cartons, fresh labels, a notching machine and an invoice in the name of Kaushik Pharmaceuticals.
all-newseditors-picks
