Cracking the whip on those involved in the sale of fake Remdesivir injection, the Food and Drugs Administration (FDA) Department of Haryana has busted a big racket involved in the sale of fake Remdesivir infections in Haryana.
- Fake Remdesivir racket busted in Haryana, 11 arrested
- Accused were found selling Meroprnem, an antibiotic as Remdesivir
- 3326 empty boxes of Meroprnem recovered, indicating the accused may have sold the antibiotic as the anti-viral drug
- Chandigarh, May 25: Cracking the whip on those involved in the sale of fake Remdesivir injection, the Food and Drugs Administration (FDA) Department of Haryana has busted a big racket involved in the sale of fake Remdesivir infections in Haryana.During month-long raids conducted by the Department, as many as 11 accused have been arrested by the Crime Investigation Agency (CIA) while more arrests are likely to be made in the coming days.
- Divulging more details about the case, a spokesperson of FDA said that during investigation it was found that the accused were allegedly selling Meroprnem, as Remdesivir vials by printing fake stickers of M/s Hetero Labs Limited, a pharmaceutical company in India that is producing the crucial drug.
- Continuous raids were conducted at the whereabouts of the accused and during the raids fake 277 drug vials having fake stickers of COVIFOR Lyophilized Powder (Remdesivir for Injection 100mg/vial), B. No. REM121006A, MRP Rs. 5400 were recovered, said the spokesperson.
- He further shared that during the raids as many 3326 empty boxes of Meroprnem were also found, assuming that the accused must have sold the antibiotics as Remdesivir vials by printing fake stickers.
- During the investigation, it was revealed that Dilpreet Singh, Director of M/s Elfin Drugs Private Limited situated at village Barson, Tehsil Nalagarh, district Solan HP was involved in sale of fake Remdesivir, ” informed the spokesperson.
- He said that then of Food and Drugs Administration((FDA), Baddi has sealed the premises of the firm from where the said drug stock was recovered.
- Brief facts about the case
- On April, 20,2021 a checkpoint was set up by the Police Ambala Cantt wherein they had stopped Paras, resident of village Nandiyali, Thana Naggal, district, Ambala and Kanishq, resident of Defense Colony, Ambala Cantt who were travelling in Mahindra XUV car bearing registration number HR05Y-0022.
- During the interrogation, the police had recovered 24 Injection COVIFOR Lyophilized Powder (Remdesivir for Injection 100mg/vial ), B. No. REM121006A, MRP Rs. 5400, Manufactured by-M/s Hetero Labs Limited from them and later both failed to provide the valid documents.
- Never manufactured Lyophilized dosage recovered by Police: M/s Hetero Healthcare
- According to the officials after getting the required investigation details from the Ambala police, on April 21, 2021, a team of Food Drug Administration (FDA), Ambala Zone visited the firm M/s Hetero Healthcare Ltd., 1018, Prabhu Prem Puram, Ambala Cantt for investigation.
- During the investigation, the officials of manufacturing firm M/s Hetero Healthcare had informed the FDA team that “Covifor Inj (Lyophilized) Batch No. REM121006A which being caught by the Police does not belong to them and further, they had got manufactured a similar batch from Aspiro Pharma Limited in Liquid dosage form and never ever manufactured Lyophilized dosage form under Batch No. REM121006A.
- FDA raids to uncover the racket layers
- Later on May 16, 2021 a team of Food and Drugs Administration, Ambala Zone raided the premises of M/s Saroha Pharmaceutical, SCO number 203, second floor, Amrawati Enclave, Panchkula for the investigation and recovery of Injection COVIFOR.
- During the raid, the team had recovered unlabeled dry injection powdered 20ml vials flip off seal of two different color plastic seal Red and Orange. Total vials recovered 399 vials out of which 206 vials of Red color flip off seal and 193 vials of Orange color flip off seal.
- More arrest likely to be made
- “Considering the investigation findings, more such raids will be conduted in the coming days to uncover additional layers of this racket. The department will also work amicably with the neighbouring states to crack a whip on those involved in this crime”, said the authorities.
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