Lucknow: In a crackdown on fake medicines, Food Safety and Drug Administration (FSDA) cancelled the drug licences of 14 establishments and suspended those of 29 firms in Aminabad’s medicine market.An FSDA official said the establishments whose licences were cancelled had been found involved in cross-billing and the trade in fake medicines. Deficiencies in the operations of some firms led to the suspension of their licences.An FSDA investigation conducted in August revealed that some firms were recording purchases and sales on paper while circulating fake and counterfeit medicines in the market.On Aug 12, nine FIRs were registered at Aminabad police station against these firms under various sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS). In July, the official added, fake medicines were seized from illegal warehouses in Alambagh, Bakshi Ka Talab and Aminabad in Lucknow. An FIR was also registered against eight firms in Aminabad and a software vendor on charges of fake billing and software tampering.A cross-billing syndicate operating without the physical supply of medicines was also detected in Kaiserbagh. Illegal medicines worth approximately Rs 41.58 lakh have been seized in Lucknow so far. Nine FIRs have been registered against 32 people, and two arrests have been made.“The simultaneous action against so many establishments in Aminabad’s drug market has caused panic among traders. The campaign against the network involved in fake medicines and fake billing will continue,” the official said.
