The state drug control administration has stopped the sale of two cancer pills - Dexam tablet manufactured by Haryana-based Getwell Pharmaceuticals and I Dox injection manufactured by Pune-based Ayon Pharmaceuticals - with immediate effect.

Sources in the drug control administration said cancer pills of both these brands were being sold at over double their actual price at a shop on Govind Mitra Road. The government approved price of Dexam is Rs 6.40 a tablet but it was being sold at Rs 50. Similarly, the government price of I Dox is Rs 4,313.43 a vial but it was being sold at Rs 19,800 a vial. The drugs are used during chemotherapy. Genicidina injection, an alternative, is available at Rs 3,000-5,000 a vial.

The drug control team also found medicines with labels of various city hospitals at a Pfizer India Limited's godown on Thursday. A drug inspector in the raiding team said that as per Section 96 and 97 of Drug Cosmetics Act, wrong labelling of drugs violates rules.

Cancer patients in the city hailed the drug control body's decision. "Cancer drugs are already very costly. If the medicines are sold at more than double or triple the price, our families would have to bear the brunt," said Shaila Sinha, who is undergoing treatment for cancer at the Indira Gandhi Institute of Medical Sciences (IGIMS).

The drug control administration team also found Chinese surgical instruments being sold with wrong manufacturing date at a Pataliputra-based private hospital's drug store on Thursday. A drug inspector included in the raid said: "We found a Chinese surgical instrument (endotracheal tube) having manufacturing date June 2015 but showing May 2015 as the date of import. We are treating it as a case of misbranded surgical instrument. More raids would be conducted to see if other medical shops are indulging in such practices."

Sources said earlier, too, the drug control administration's team had come across instances of drugs being sold with wrong manufacturing date. "Around 8,000 IV cannulas (used to draw blood samples or to administer fluids and medication) belonging to one company were found without manufacturing date at Sony Surgical medical store," said a drug inspector. "The wrapper showed the drug's shelf life but did not mention manufacturing date. We suspect they were being sold beyond sell-by dates. We had stopped its production. The firm has been asked to provide production licence and approval certificates."

Drug control administration sources said drug stores would be raided throughout the month. Principal secretary, health, R.K. Mahajan issued a directive in this regard on December 2.