Fake medicines flood Kolkata via night buses from Odisha, Bihar; Raids uncover ₹20 lakh worth of counterfeit drugs

Allegations have already surfaced that 30% of medicines, including those for blood pressure, diabetes, antacids, and antibiotics, are counterfeit and being mixed with genuine medicines. The State Drug Control Department has raided four pharmaceutical factories in Kolkata. At least ₹20 lakh worth of suspicious medicines have been seized. Now, the entire fake medicine trade has been exposed.

Are counterfeit medicines being transported from Puducherry to Kolkata via Agra? It is alleged that a trader from Keshtopur buys these medicines from Agra and supplies them further. To gather more detailed information, the State Drug Control Department is reaching out to drug control authorities in other states.

According to sources in the State Drug Control Department, counterfeit medicines are entering the state via road routes. Boxes filled with these fake medicines are reportedly being transported to Bengal from states like Odisha and Bihar using long-distance buses. Allegedly, for an amount ranging from ₹500 to ₹1,000, wholesale traders at Motiya Bada Bazaar are delivering these fake medicines to local shops.

Regarding this issue, Prithvi Basu, secretary of the Bengal Chemist and Druggist Association, stated, "I request all boards to instruct retailers to withdraw discount schemes." FMRAI member Shantanu Mitra added, "Companies are not producing counterfeit medicines. Some dishonest traders are manufacturing them. Somehow, these fake medicines are making their way into the market. This loophole needs to be fixed. Selling medicines at a discount is a massive scam with no end in sight."