Fraud Allegations: Case Filed Against Pharmaceutical Agencies in Thane for Distributing Counterfeit Medicines

Two pharmaceutical agencies face charges for distributing counterfeit medications to Thane hospitals. FDA inspections uncovered the deception, leading to an FIR under various Indian laws. The agencies allegedly supplied bogus drugs to multiple healthcare facilities, extending beyond Thane.

A case has been registered against two pharmaceutical agencies for allegedly distributing spurious drugs to hospitals in Maharashtra's Thane city, police said on Saturday.

Based on a complaint lodged by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), a first information report (FIR) was registered under sections 420 (cheating), 468 (forgery), 273 (sale of noxious food or drink) and other relevant provisions of the Indian Penal Code and the Drugs and Cosmetics Act of 1940, an official said.

According to the complaint, FDA officials inspected medicines at the government hospital in Thane on December 11, 2023, and found that some were spurious, he said.

The two agencies allegedly sold spurious medicines to the Thane Civil Hospital and other hospitals and supplied these drugs to different parts of the country, the official said.