The Drug Controller General of India (DCGI) has requested state officials across the country to keep an eye on the spurious drug manufactured by a Himachal Pradesh-based firm, Indian media reported on Friday.
In a letter to state drug inspectors, DCGI chief Dr Venugopal Somani instructed them to be more vigilant in identifying fake medicines.
The DCGI action came after Himachal Pradesh state drug officials complained that manufacturer Mohit Bansal was allegedly producing medicines without a license at his factory premises of Trizal Formulations in Baddi in the Solan district.
The medicines under scrutiny include anti-allergic Montair, cardio drug Atorva, statin drug Roseday, painkiller Zerodol, loose calcium tablets and vitamin D tablets. These are originally manufactured by firms such as Cipla, Zydus Healthcare, IPCA Labs, Macleods Pharma, and Torrent Pharmaceuticals.
The letter sent by the state drug control body to the DCGI revealed that these illegal medicines are already out in the market in the Agra and Aligarh districts of Uttar Pradesh.
However, DGCI officials did not deny the probability that these spurious drugs could also be available in different places throughout the country.