Drug licensing authority officials raid a pharmaceutical shop on Govind Mitra Road in Patna. Picture by Ranjeet Kumar Dey

Patna, Sept. 23: The recent raid by the drug licensing authority of Patna Municipal Corporation on a pharmaceutical shop at Govind Mitra Road might just be the tip of the iceberg of an organised racket.

A source said several shops on the road might be illegally storing drugs meant for government hospitals.

The drug licensing officials of Patna Municipal Corporation on Wednesday seized a large quantity consignment of medicines from Dhiraj Pharma on Govind Mitra Road that included medicines meant for government hospitals and samples meant for physicians.

The state drug controller, S.N. Sahu, said: “We do not have the exact number of shops which are indulging in such type of activities. However, 4 to 5 per cent shops on Govind Mitra Road are selling drugs meant for government hospitals and samples meant for physicians.”

Sahu said in spite of stringent laws under Drugs and Cosmetics Act, 1940, such activities have continued.

Under the provisions of the act, the maximum punishment for selling spurious drugs includes life imprisonment.

The state drug licensing authority has been conducting three to four raids every month to crackdown on such illegal activities and curb the practice. The authority is responsible for looking after the purchase and sale of drugs.

Drugs worth around Rs 10 lakh was seized on Wednesday. A FIR was also lodged against one person at Pirbhore police station.

Sahu said raids would be conducted at medical stores and godowns.

Sahu said: “People should come forward and inform us if they find any irregularity in the drugs that they purchase over the counter. Raids would be conducted based on such reports.”

He said the drug control authority also had information that in rural areas, shops often sell drugs with misleading information.

He said such drugs could prove fatal and customers must be on their guard so that they do not get duped into buying them.

He said: “In December last year, we conducted raids at Patna Medical College and Hospital based on reports that some hospital authorities were selling medicines from the hospital store. Investigations in the case are still underway.”

Sahu said investigations have revealed that most of the spurious drugs are sourced from different drug factories spread across districts of Delhi, Haryana, Indore and Punjab.

He said representatives of pharmaceutic al companies and even doctors often sell medicines that are meant for free distribution.