Illegal drug factory unearthed in Sonepat; FDA seals premises, seizes huge stock

A joint team of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) from Panipat and Sonepat districts unearthed an illegal drug manufacturing factory operating in the Ferozepur Bangar area of Kharkhoda, Sonepat. The factory was found producing medicines without a valid licence, manufacturing spurious antibiotics and other pharmaceutical drugs under the name of companies based in Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh and Maharashtra.

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Key findings

Unlicensed drug factory: Illegal facility found manufacturing medicines without approval

Spurious medicines: Tablets and capsules falsely labelled under Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh, and Maharashtra-based firms

Massive seizure: A large number of tablets and capsules, packaging materials and drug-making machinery confiscated

The FDA team sealed the factory, seized the manufactured drugs and confiscated machinery used in the production. One accused, Yogesh from Sirsa district, was arrested on the spot.

The raid was carried out after the administration received a complaint about unlicensed drug manufacturing at the location. The team comprised Drug Control Officers (DCOs) Munshi Ram, Sandeep Hooda, Rakesh Dahiya (Sr DCO, Sonepat Division) and Pawan Kumar (DCO, Panipat).

During the inspection, the team found Yogesh, who identified himself as the plant incharge. Upon searching the premises, officials discovered that the factory was illegally manufacturing several antibiotic tablets and capsules, including Azithromycin, Amoxycillin and Potassium Clavulanate, Cefixime and Lactic Acid Bacillus tablets, Pantoprazole and Domperidone capsules.

These medicines were falsely labelled under the names of manufacturers from Himachal Pradesh, Haridwar (Uttarakhand), and Maharashtra.

“We found seven types of drugs being manufactured under the name of other companies, but no such firms were registered in those states. This indicates that spurious medicines were being produced,” said Rakesh Dahiya, senior DCO, Sonepat.

The team sealed a massive stock of finished medicines, including 131 kg of Rick-250 tablets, 57 kg of Penzole capsules, 2,500 boxes of Polo 625, 542 strips of Rick-25, two boxes of Micoceff-LB200 and 10 boxes of Rumentin 625 tablets.

Additionally, the officials seized a huge stock of packaging foils labelled with 14 different tablet names, branded medicine boxes and manufacturing equipment.

When asked to provide documentation, Yogesh failed to produce any drug manufacturing licence or legal records.

“The factory was running illegally without any valid licence. We have arrested one accused, and his interrogation is underway. The names of two more suspects have come to light during the investigation,” Dahiya said.

Preliminary findings indicate that the firm was producing counterfeit medicines, as no official registration of the claimed manufacturers was found in Maharashtra, Uttarakhand or Himachal Pradesh.

The FDA has collected samples of the seized medicines and sent them for laboratory testing in Chandigarh. Further legal action will be taken based on the results, authorities confirmed.