Exclusive: 14 December 2024, Chhatrapati SambhajinagarRoutine lab testing has found that an antibiotic tablet consignment of 1.5 lakhs supplied to a government hospital here in Nanded is spurious, containing less than the required medicinal substance. This has led Maharashtra to investigate the supply chain to state-run hospitals.

Main Points:

Discovery of fake tablets:

• 1.5 lakh antibiotic tablets to the Government Medical College and Hospital in Nanded, were not according to the medical standards when they went under lab tests.

• 1.23 lakh tablets were sealed and given to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for more investigation.

Past Events:
A similar situation was reported at Swami Ramanand Teerth Government Rural Medical College and Hospital in Ambajogai, Latur. This raised worries about fake drugs entering government hospitals.Supplier Network Being Watched:

• Preliminary FDA investigations revealed that the spurious drugs were supplied by dubious firms allegedly operating out of Uttarakhand, Kerala, and Andhra Pradesh.

• These firms were found to be non-existent at their registered addresses, leading to suspicions about a larger counterfeit supply chain.

Actions for Safety:

• Dr. Nilkanth Bhosikar, District Surgeon, said that the antibiotics were sealed right after the testing reports came in.

• He assured that while the substandard drugs were ineffective, they posed no immediate threat to patients.

Government Actions and Investigations:

• Maharashtra's FDA has reached out to regulatory authorities in Uttarakhand, Kerala, and Andhra Pradesh for more investigation.

• Similar fake drugstores had already been discovered in Dharashiv, associated with a concocted company.

Political  Backlash:

• Opposition parties claim that state government did not prevent fake drugs from being sold to government hospitals. Sushma Andhare, a spokesperson for Shiv Sena (UBT), said, "There is no supervision and responsibility in the Mahayuti government.

This event shows how important it is to have strict quality control and oversight to stop fake drugs from getting into healthcare systems. It also emphasizes the need to hold suppliers and regulatory agencies responsible for keeping patients safe.