Karnataka: On Sunday, September 6, the Karnataka FDA seized medicines worth more than Rs 4 lakh from two Amazon facilities in Anekal and Devanahalli that were allegedly storing medicines without valid drug licences.
According to a release issued by the Karnataka Food Safety and Drug Administration (FDA), the Drugs Enforcement Wing conducted simultaneous raids at unlicensed e-commerce storage facilities following intelligence inputs regarding the illegal storage and distribution of pharmaceuticals.
The FDA said the action was aimed at preventing the unauthorised storage and distribution of medicines and ensuring compliance with drug licensing requirements.
In Thattanahalli, Anekal Taluk, the raid was carried out by Manhor, Assistant Drugs Controller (ADC), State Intelligence Branch, along with regional drug inspectors. They raided the unlicensed premises of M/s Amazon Seller Services Pvt. Ltd., and medicines worth Rs 2,45,352 were seized from the location for allegedly being stored without a valid drug licence.
In a simultaneous operation, drug inspectors under the leadership of Smt. Vibha (Drugs Inspector, Bengaluru Rural) executed a targeted raid on M/s Amazon facility at Aerospace, Devanahalli. The crackdown resulted in the confiscation of medicine stocks valued at ₹1,57,000.
The FDA said the two premises were storing medicines without the required drug licence. The department said the raids were part of its bid to stop the unauthorized storage and distribution of medicines and ensure compliance with drug licensing requirements. Medicines worth Rs 4,02,352 in total were seized from both the facilities.
In response to the inspection, Amazon said it was reviewing the observations from a recent inspection at its facilities in Bengaluru and would take necessary steps as required. The company said it cooperates with regulatory inspections and has systems and controls designed to prevent products that do not meet applicable regulatory requirements from being listed on Amazon.in or entering its fulfilment centres.
Recently, many such cases of distribution of counterfeit medicines and fake vaccines have been reported across the country. One of the most recent cases to make the headlines is the counterfeit batch of Abhayrab rabies vaccine seized in Delhi.
FSSAI has also busted a major food adulteration case involving tampering with the expiry dates of Maggi, Horlicks and Bournvita in Okhla Phase II.
(Rh/ARC/MSM)