Following the seizure of counterfeit drugs, especially those used to treat cancer, Health Department officials are now tracking patients to check the current status of their health.

Licences of 16 retail and wholesale pharmaceutical firms were cancelled and eight licenses were suspended.

Speaking to The Hindu, U.T. Khader, Minister for Health and Family Welfare, said, “Officials will track records of cancer patients from various private hospitals across the State. We will call them up and check the status of their health. They may have unknowingly bought these counterfeit drugs.”

“We don’t sell fake drugs at government hospitals, hence there is no question of tracking patients to know their status,” he added.

Mr. Khader stated that in order to make it easy for laboratories, doctors, and pharmaceutical firms to differentiate between fake and original drugs, the department has written to the headquarters of Pfizer to release their reference standards.

“When the fake drugs are sent to labs for testing, we need to have the company’s reference standards. It will make the process of drug testing easier for our department. However, the company hasn’t replied to our email so far. Hence, we have written to the Union government to take a note of the increasing number of fake drugs and medicines in the market, measures to identify them, and stop them from being sold in medical shops. State governments have a minor role to play in giving permissions to drug manufacturers and what is brought into the market for selling,” he said.

He added that the investigation of counterfeit drugs is ongoing, while the department is contemplating booking fake drug manufacturers, distributors, pharmaceutical firms, and medical store owners under Section 105 of Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), according to which if the act is done with the intent to cause death or bodily injury likely to cause death, the punishment is either life imprisonment or imprisonment for five to 10 years and penalty depending on the nature of offence.

An all-India health conclave will be hosted in Bengaluru in the third week of October, said Health Minister U.T. Khader. “Health Ministers from across all the States, FSDA officials from State governments, FSSAI officials and other stakeholders will be part of the conclave. We will not only discuss and debate but take some strong decisions to tackle issues like counterfeit drugs across the country,” he said.