Indian probe links Turkish Pfizer labels to massive counterfeit drug network
A Special Investigation Team uncovered a Karnataka-based counterfeit drug ring that used authentic Pfizer labels sourced from Turkey to disguise cheap medicines. The operation led to multiple arrests and regulatory actions against several pharmaceutical firms.
The Special Investigation Team probing a Karnataka counterfeit drug racket discovered that the network used authentic Pfizer labels procured from Turkey to mislead buyers about cheap antibiotics. Mastermind R Prashanth Ranjan Babu, a former medical representative, was arrested after returning from multiple trips to Turkey, and investigators noted that after his Turkish visa was cancelled he used other routes, including Azerbaijan, to continue obtaining labels.
The operation involved separate entities for sourcing generic medicines from Hyderabad, Chennai, Uttarakhand and other Indian states, filling them into vials, and distributing nearly 10,000 labeled units of Zavicefta and Emblaveo. Police raids on farmhouses in Bidadi and Dodderi seized counterfeit drugs, fake invoices, injection-filling equipment and labels valued at about ₹5 crore, and four suspects were initially detained.
Subsequent investigations led to seven arrests, including Veeresh Kumar Jain, Balasubramanya of DM Pharma, and Prashanth’s wife Priyanka. The Karnataka Food Safety and Drugs Administration cancelled licences of 16 firms and suspended eight, including Pfizer’s depot in Nelamangala, though a state high court stayed some of those orders.
Why it matters
The scheme shows how cross-border fraud can endanger patients by disguising cheap drugs as premium medicines.
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