2 Baddi firms lose licence for supply of psychotropics to Punjab

Ambika Sharma

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Solan, May 21

The State Taxes and Excise Department (STED) has suspended the MD VI licences for securing raw material of Baddi-based Biogenetic Drugs Pvt Limited and its sister concern Smilex Pharmachem Drug Industry for illegally diverting psychotropic drugs to Punjab.

The action follows the suspension of the product permission by the Drugs Control Administration (DCA) last week after Punjab’s Special Task Force found the two units diverting alprazolam and tramadol-related drugs illegally to Punjab. The Punjab STF had seized a huge cache of such drugs from an unlicensed firm, following which they raided its premises at Baddi.

“Since the two firms indulged in illegal sale of psychotropic drugs, their licences were suspended on May 18 after the receipt of information from the DCA at Baddi,” said Som Dutt Sharma, Deputy Commissioner, STED, Baddi.

The two firms had secured the MD VI licences for codeine, which is used in the production of cough syrup. While the Gwalior-based Central Bureau of Narcotics issues a quota of raw material for manufacturing psychotropic drugs, the STED controls it. “The drug firms have to present their potential capacity for availing of the quota and if they have to enhance the capacity, they have to produce the copies of the orders from buyers, which also include the state government,” said Sharma.

Notably, the DCA was probing into the scale of production and sale of psychotropic drugs like alprazolam and tramadol-related products manufactured by the two firms. They were making profits by manufacturing such drugs on a large scale.

As per the probe, Biogenetic Drugs Pvt Ltd, Baddi, had purchased 139 kg of alprazolam as raw material from May 2023 onwards while 40 kg was the stock in hand. The Punjab STF seized the raw material under the provisions of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act.

Besides, more than 400 kg of codeine raw material was found on the premises of the unit. A stock of 1.97 crore tablets of alprazolam was found on the company’s premises.

It may be noted that the company focused on mass production of drugs, which could be misused by addicts in Punjab. The DCA has frozen the stock pending investigation. The two companies had violated the conditions of the licences by failing to furnish information about the purchasers to the State Drugs Controller and the Baddi SP while dispatching these drugs.

The scrutiny of the records also revealed that the companies had manufactured over 20 crore alprazolam tablets in mere eight months.

Scale and sale of production too big

• The firms were granted the MD VI licences for securing raw material for drugs, the firms had secured this licences for codeine, which is used for the production of cough syrup
• Biogenetic Drugs Pvt Ltd, Baddi, had purchased 139 kg of alprazolam as raw material since May 2023
• More than 400 kg of codeine raw material, 1.97 crore alprazolam tablets found on the company premises
• One of the firms manufactured over 20 crore alprazolam tablets in mere eight months