A recent seizure of counterfeit Levipil 500 (levetiracetam 500 mg) tablets in Telangana, being sold as genuine products of Sun Pharma, has sparked alarm over the failure of QR code authentication in India’s pharmaceutical sector. Anti-counterfeit expert Dr. Avi Chaudhury from Kolkata has emphasized the urgent need for regulatory action and has called for the recall of all affected Levipil batches by the Drug Controller General of India (DCGI).

Key highlights

Seizure of fake Levipil drugs

• Telangana authorities recently confiscated counterfeit Levipil 500mg tablets, Batch No. GTF1540A, during raids in Hyderabad and Karimnagar.

• These counterfeit tablets were sold as genuine products of Sun Pharma.

QR code authentication failures

• The seized counterfeit Levipil products contained active QR codes that falsely authenticated the drugs as genuine.

• This flaw has allowed fake medicines to circulate undetected, creating a dangerous false sense of safety.

Urgent call for regulatory intervention

• Dr. Avi Chaudhury has urged the government to mandate Sun Pharma to recall the counterfeit Levipil batches.

• He highlighted that compromised QR codes have continued to mislead both drug inspectors and patients, posing a serious risk to public health.

Widespread issue across multiple states

• The counterfeit Levipil drugs with misleading QR codes have been found in both Telangana and Gujarat, raising concerns over the scale of the problem.

• Dr. Chaudhury has suggested that the data within these QR codes may have been compromised at either Sun Pharma or its solution provider, PharmSecure Inc., based in Delhi.

Public health risks and patient safety concerns

• The expiry dates on the counterfeit Levipil drugs range from April to May 2026, meaning they could remain in circulation for almost a year, posing long-term threats to patient safety.

• Dr. Chaudhury stresses that the drugs' failure to provide therapeutic effects will only be detected when patients experience adverse outcomes.

Call for action

• The anti-counterfeit expert has expressed frustration at the lack of response from Sun Pharma and PharmSecure, despite extensive reporting since April regarding the compromised QR codes.

• He urges that the QR codes be invalidated immediately to prevent further harm.

The failure of QR code authentication in ensuring the authenticity of Levipil drugs has revealed a significant flaw in India's drug safety mechanisms. Dr. Chaudhury’s call for a recall is a crucial step in mitigating the public health risk posed by these counterfeit medicines. The government must act swiftly to protect consumers and uphold the integrity of the pharmaceutical industry.