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In a major crackdown on pharmacies at reputed hospitals across the city on Tuesday, special teams of Telangana Drug Control Administration found that these stores flouted rules by selling expired medicines and sub-standard tablets to unsuspecting patients.
Pharmacies in two hospitals — Krishna Institute of Medical Sciences, Secunderabad, and Mediciti Hospital, Shamirpet — were sealed after it was found that they did not renew their licences. Also their stocks were seized.
Teams of Telangana Drug Control Administration carried out surprise checks at medical stores in 11 major private hospitals, including the most reputed ones like Apollo Hospital in Jubilee Hills, Yashoda Hospital at Secunderabad, and Kamineni Hospital at L B Nagar.
It was found that these pharmacies were fleecing people by overpricing the medicines. In some instances, the special teams noted that the pharmacies stocked sub-standard and spurious medicines, while the others had medicines with expiry dates.
“At many pharmacies they were selling sub-standard medicines which means if it is a 100 mg tablet you are purchasing, analysis reveals that it is actually only 70 or 80 mg,’’ deputy director Amruth Rao said.
According to Akun Sabharwal, director of Drug Control Administration, the other violations included unclean cold storage places, lack of hygiene in the pharmacies, haphazard record maintenance and Violations of Drugs Act 1940.
The teams have collected samples of tablets, syrups, injections, ointments, IV fluids from various pharmacies across the state since the past several days. The samples are being sent to National Institute of Biologicals, New Delhi, for analysis.
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