From prescription to addiction: Hidden pharma pipeline feeding illicit demand

In the absence of any credible demand survey to assess the genuine medical need for psychotropic medicines prescribed for anxiety and insomnia, the non-medical consumption of these drugs has now overtaken their legitimate use. The recent spate of large-scale seizures by the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) in Punjab and Haryana has exposed a sprawling network of unauthorised markets thriving on this trade.

A case in point is the Kala Amb-based pharmaceutical company Digital Vision, which allegedly supplied over 48 lakh Tramadol capsules and nearly 12,000 bottles of cough syrup to fictitious firms over just 18 months. Investigators uncovered a trail of fake invoices and bank transactions linked to an accused already under arrest, illustrating how the legitimate pharmaceutical system is being manipulated for profit.

This was no isolated incident. In June, the Punjab Special Task Force unearthed another shocking case involving the manufacture of 20 crore Alprazolam tablets, a controlled psychotropic substance, within eight months by a Baddi-based company.

The revelation has dealt a severe blow to the image of Himachal’s flourishing pharmaceutical hub, known as the “Pharma Capital of India”.

Officials from the NCB say such operations typically follow a multi-layered strategy. Initially, drugs are sold through genuine distribution channels, after which consignments are discreetly diverted to unauthorised buyers using shell firms and non-existent marketing entities. The lack of real-time monitoring enables these firms to continue unchecked.

Experts highlight a crucial gap: once a company secures a licence under the Drugs and Cosmetics Act, 1940, there are no limits on production volumes. Even small-scale firms can manufacture vast quantities of psychotropic drugs and offload them illegally. Moreover, unlike narcotic substances, which are regulated through a quota system controlled by the Central Bureau of Narcotics, no such quota exists for psychotropic drugs like Tramadol, Alprazolam, Diazepam or Codeine.

According to the National Survey on Extent and Pattern of Substance Use in India (2019), around 1.08% of Indians aged 10-75 years, an estimated 1.18 crore people, use sedatives without medical supervision. The figure underscores the urgency of tighter regulation and tracking mechanisms.

Gyaneshwar Singh, former Deputy Director General of NCB and now Additional Director General of Police, CID, Himachal Pradesh, suggests a digital monitoring portal as a corrective measure. “Every drug firm should be required to update details of its production, sales and raw material purchases online. Such a system will bring transparency and allow real-time oversight,” he said.

Currently, obtaining records from state drug authorities is a cumbersome process that hinders effective investigation. A unified digital system, Singh argues, could streamline accountability and detect anomalies early. Backing the proposal, Dr Manish Kapoor, State Drugs Controller, Himachal Pradesh, stressed the need to vet raw material purchase orders through official scrutiny. “Several fake firms have been found showing Himachal addresses while operating elsewhere. Tightening control over raw material procurement is vital,” he said.

As India’s pharmaceutical sector continues to grow, the unchecked proliferation of psychotropic drug misuse threatens to erode both public health and the credibility of the industry. Stronger digital oversight and regulatory vigilance may be the only way to restore order to this dangerously blurred line between medicine and misuse.

• A thriving network of ghost pharma firms has turned India’s psychotropic drugs into easy street highs. Lured by profits, small licensed manufacturers exploit legal gaps to churn out anxiety and insomnia pills far beyond medical demand

• With no central quota or real-time production monitoring, consignments slip into unauthorised markets through layers of fake distributors

• Enforcement agencies from the NCB to state task forces are now racing to plug leaks, as India’s silent sedative epidemic grows behind the façade of legitimate pharma success

  How fake firms fuel real addiction