Karnataka FDA revokes 16 drug licences and suspends eight amid counterfeit medicine crackdown
The Karnataka Food Safety and Drugs Administration cancelled 16 drug licences and suspended eight, including Pfizer’s wholesale licence, after a raid uncovered a counterfeit drug operation near Bidadi.
A raid on an illegal drug-manufacturing site in Kurubarakeranahalli, near Bidadi, resulted in the seizure of counterfeit injectables, packaging materials and forged labels valued at roughly ₹5.05 crore. In response, the Karnataka Food Safety and Drugs Administration cancelled licences for 16 companies and suspended eight, including the wholesale licence of Pfizer Ltd in the Bengaluru Rural district. The seized inventory comprised thousands of vials of branded and generic medicines, some expired, with counterfeit QR codes that failed verification.
The FDA has blocked the identified batch numbers on its online portal and dispatched samples for chemical, sterility and potency testing. A Special Investigation Team has expanded the inquiry to trace the supply chain and plans to present the seized items before the JMFC Court, Bangalore South, while urging patients to purchase medicines only from licensed pharmacies.
Why it matters
The action targets a large counterfeit drug network that threatens public health and undermines trust in pharmaceutical supply chains.
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