Telangana Drugs Control Administration (DCA) raided 66 corporate hospital pharmacies in the state during surprise inspections, revealing a chain of serious violations in drug storage, sale, and documentation procedures. The raids were a part of a state-wide campaign to check compliance with drug safety rules in private healthcare centers.

Key Highlights

Widespread regulatory lapses detected

• Pharmacies were selling prescription medicines in the absence of a registered pharmacist.

• Missing purchase and sales records, unkept prescription registers, and Schedule H1 record-keeping violations were noted.

Expired and unprescribed medicines found

• Expired medicines were stored with active medicines.

• A few pharmacies were selling prescription medicines without a proper doctor's prescription.

• Thermolabile medicines were not kept under mandatory temperature-controlled storage.

Seizure at remedy hospital, Kukatpally

• DCA confiscated Biopro PRP Kits for ₹70,000.

• The kits contained several labelling violations, such as two manufacturing dates, no manufacturing license number, and problems in sterilisation labelling.

• Purchase and sales invoices for these kits were not made available.

Other violations at other places

• Physician samples were stored together with commercial drugs at Life Care Pharmacy in Medak.

• Sugatab MV2 Forte, a prohibited drug, was seen at the pharmacy with Gemcare Poulomi Hospitals in Hyderabad.

Regulatory action taken

• DCA will send show-cause notices to all 66 pharmacies.

• Legal action will be initiated under the Drugs and Cosmetics Act, 1940.

Telangana DCA's recent raid on hospital pharmacies has thrown light on some serious compliance lapses and patient safety norms. With enforcement measures already in action, the inspection highlights the necessity of strong regulatory oversight in state corporate healthcare pharmacies in an urgent manner.