CHENNAI: A total of 336 licenses of retailers and wholesale drug stores and pharmacies in Tamil Nadu have been suspended this year. The suspensions were due to various offenses, including lack of maintenance of registrations. Additionally, 31 retail and wholesale licenses were cancelled for the same reasons.

The State Drugs Control Department took action against four firms for manufacturing spurious drugs, including one based in Tamil Nadu. It also ordered the prosecution of these manufacturing units and pharmacies for violating regulations related to the sale and manufacture of drugs.

Furthermore, six drug manufacturing units in Tamil Nadu, and 54 from other places were found to be producing substandard quality drugs, and the department took action against them. A senior official from the Drugs Control department said, “From January-November this year, licenses of 293 retailers and 60 wholesalers were suspended. Action was also taken against 48 pharmacies for selling drugs without the supervision of a pharmacist.”

The department also supervises the stocking and sale of expired drugs and contravention, under Drugs-Cosmetic Act, 1940, and Corresponding Rules, 1945. “A total of 148 violations were found under this Act that regulates the import, manufacture, distribution, and sale of drugs and cosmetics in India,” added the official. “Several cases of advertising of drugs and magic remedies that make false or misleading claims about their efficacy or safety are surfacing. In such a case, sanction of prosecution was ordered under the contraventions of the Drugs and Magic Remedies (Objectionable Advertisements) Act, 1954.”

As per the Drugs, Drugs Price Control Order 2013, pricing of essential medicines is controlled. However, a violation was reported under the Act. For the illegal sale of abortion pills, 27 sales licenses were suspended, 7 licenses were cancelled, and 13 sanctions of prosecution were issued.