From 56 to 573, Telangana DCA’s seizures surge in one year

Telangana DCA reports ten-fold increase in enforcement activities, seizing drugs worth ₹7.46 crore in 2024.

The Telangana Drugs Control Administration (DCA) has reported a ten-fold increase in its enforcement activities in 2024, with 573 seizures conducted between January and December this year compared to 56 seizures in 2023, said an annual report released by the department on Monday. The department has ramped up efforts to monitor and curb illegal activities related to medicines, strengthening drug regulation across the State.

The total worth of drugs seized by the DCA in 2024 stood at ₹7.46 crore. Of this, ₹2.36 crore worth spurious drugs were confiscated. The illegal stocking of drugs by quacks alone accounted for ₹61.61 lakh in seizures. In collaboration with the Prohibition and Excise Department, joint operations led to the seizure of narcotic and psychotropic substances worth ₹11.32 crore, the annual report stated.

In 2024, the department busted eight spurious drug rackets, uncovering counterfeit medicines and illegal manufacturing units across the State. These operations targeted highly lucrative markets, including anti-cancer drugs and antibiotics, which were falsely labelled under reputed pharmaceutical brands. Additionally, there were 79 cases related to violations of the Drugs Prices Control Order (DPCO). Misleading advertisements and false claims were another area of action, with 199 cases registered under the Drugs and Magic Remedies (Objectionable Advertisements) Act.

The department also cracked down on unauthorised medical practitioners, filing 136 cases against quacks involved in unlicensed stocking and sale of drugs. Furthermore, there were 98 cases of unlicensed operations, including illegal drug manufacturing, sale of expired drugs, and misuse of physician’s samples. Other actions included 44 cases involving drugs sold as food products and nutraceuticals, five cases on unlicensed cosmetics manufacturing, and three on banned drugs manufacturing and sale.

“This year, we laid the foundation for stringent inspections and seizure of spurious drugs. Our objective for the coming years is to make Telangana a spurious drug-free State and ensure the availability of safe and high-standard drugs to the public,” said V.B. Kamalasan Reddy, Director General of the Telangana Drugs Control Administration.

A major raid on October 28 targeted 15 private medical shops in government hospitals across Hyderabad, Secunderabad, Warangal, and Karimnagar. Violations such as possession of expired drugs and physician’s samples were detected, and show cause notices were issued to initiate appropriate actions under drug regulations, as per the report.

Quality control efforts also improved in 2024, with 130 substandard drugs detected, up from 79 in 2023. The DCA has intensified its scrutiny since 2018, ensuring that substandard drugs are identified and removed from the market. By December 2024, 3,902 samples had been analysed, with 3.33% deemed Not of Standard Quality (NSQ), compared to 1.73% in 2023.