Fake cancer injections: Gurugram hospital on notice

Tribune News Service

Gurugram, May 26

The Food and Drug Control Department has served a show-cause notice to Artemis Hospital for not furnishing relevant documents related to the alleged procurement of fake chemotherapy injections for a patient by an oncologist once employed with it.

The notice, served to the hospital on May 23, highlighted that the hospital authorities had failed to submit relevant documents during a raid. The notice named three more patients who were allegedly administered the same drug, Defitelio.

Drug Controller Amandeep Chauhan, lead investigator, refused to divulge any details, citing sensitivity of the issue. However, a senior official said the hospital had sought time to submit the details.

According to the notice, which has been accessed by The Tribune, the hospital has been asked to provide the batch number of the drug, Defitelio 80 mg/ml concentrate, which was administered to patients. Interestingly, the drug is not mentioned in the case files. The notice reads that as per norms, before administering an outside medicine to a patient, the approval of the medical director or medical superintendent was required it. However, such approval was not sought by the doctor or hospital staff.

A statement issued by the hospital today said: “We are in the process of filing our documents. No spurious drug has ever been invoiced in any of the Artemis pharmacies. Once the investigation will be completed, we will come out with the final statement.”

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