Hyderabad: On Wednesday, Health Minister C Damodar Raja Narsimha instructed officials to take strong measures against those involved in the production and sale of fake and banned medicines. He emphasized using the PD Act against such offenders.
The Minister also demanded strict penalties for companies and individuals involved in misleading advertisements and selling medicines deceitfully. During a review meeting with the Drug Control Authority (DCA), DCA Director General Shahnawaz Qasim updated the Minister on the authority’s achievements in 2024 and 2025.
In 2024, officials carried out 25,939 inspections and penalized 4,142 institutions for rule violations. From January to July 2025, there were 16,481 inspections with actions against 2,827 institutions. Between January 2024 and July 2025, 7,200 medicine samples were analyzed, identifying 186 as substandard, leading to legal actions against the responsible parties. Around 700 cases were filed during this period.
The Minister instructed that all offenders must face consequences. He emphasized the importance of punishing misleading advertisers and medicine sellers. He called for strict actions against pharmaceutical companies, distributors, and sellers of counterfeit and low-quality drugs, stressing the critical importance of medicine in safeguarding lives. Repeated violators should face permanent closure under the law.
Action is also required against those misrepresenting medicines as food items. The Minister highlighted the growing issue of antibiotic resistance and urged action against illegal antibiotic sales. He directed the DCA DG to prevent the sale of intoxicating medicines without prescriptions.
The Minister called for accelerating upgrades to the drug testing labs. He announced plans to approve and recruit more drug inspectors to strengthen the Drug Control Authority. The government aims to ensure the availability of quality medicines and food to the public.
