Kala Amb drug firm booked for spurious drug manufacture

Ambika Sharma

Tribune News Service

Solan,March 3

Nearly 18 days after a cough syrup manufactured by a Kala Amb-based pharma unit, Digital Vision, led to infant deaths in Ramnagar area of Jammu and Kashmir, the manufacturers have been booked under the Drugs and Cosmetics Act,1940, and Section 308 of the IPC, which is a non-bailable offence.

The syrup was reportedly found to contain high levels of adulterant diethylene glycol (DEC) — 34.24 per cent and 35.87 per cent — as per two lab reports of the Regional Drug Testing Laboratory, Chandigarh.

Firm partners Parshottam Goyal, Konic Goyal and Manic Goyal have been named in the FIR, said Sirmaur SP Ajay Krishan Sharma. He said a special investigating team (SIT) headed by a DSP has been set up for a thorough probe.

The HP drug control administration had suspended the firm’s licence on February 17 after issuance of a show-cause notice on February 15. The officials had taken five samples of as many batches, including the contentious batch of September 2019 which caused the deaths.The entire unsold stock was withdrawn from the market. The officials were awaiting their own lab reports but after the issue was raised at the ongoing Assembly session, the Additional Chief Secretary, Health, directed that a case be filed late last night. An FIR was registered at 11.30 pm on the complaint of drug inspector Lalit Kumar.

The lab analysis report of the drug control administration of Haryana, received on Monday, too had corroborated the presence of adulterant DEC in the cough syrup.

According to the FIR, the entire stock of the cough syrup meant for infants was sold to Shiva Medical Hall, Ambala cantonment. The state DCA has requested the police to ascertain from where the DEC was purchased as well as the supply chain.