In Bhadrachalam, Telangana DCA confiscates expensive antifungal medication.
HYDERABAD, MAY 4 : The Drugs Control Administration of Telangana conducted raids in Bhadrachalam and confiscated overpriced antifungal medicine, ‘GRISOVEL-FP 250 Tablets’ (Griseofulvin Tablets IP 250mg), due to its marked price exceeding the Ceiling Price set by the Central Government.
During the operations carried out on May Friday and Saturday, DCA officials seized ‘GRISOVEL-FP 250 Tablets’ from a local medical shop. The product, Griseofulvin Tablets 250mg, sold under the brand name ‘GRISOVEL-FP 250 Tablets,’ falls under price regulation as per the Drugs (Prices Control) Order, 2013. The National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority (NPPA), Government of India, fixes the ‘Ceiling Price’ for such products.
The seized batch of ‘GRISOVEL-FP 250 Tablets’ (Griseofulvin Tablets IP 250mg), with Batch No. AGT309105, Manufacturing Date: 09/2023, Expiry Date: 08/2026, manufactured by Alventa Pharma Limited, Baddi, Solan, Himachal Pradesh, and marketed by Elder Laboratories Limited, Mumbai, was labeled with an MRP of Rs 80 for 10 tablets. This price violates the Drugs (Prices Control) Order, 2013.
The Central Government’s Ceiling Price for ‘Griseofulvin Tablets 250mg,’ including the Wholesale Price Index (WPI), is Rs 17.70 for 10 tablets. Therefore, the Maximum Retail Price (MRP), including GST at 12 per cent, should not exceed Rs 19.82 for 10 tablets.
The firm selling the medicine was found to be overpricing the product, charging an excess of Rs 60.17 for one tablet, which is a direct violation of the Drugs (Prices Control) Order, 2013.
G. Prasad, Assistant Director of Khammam, and Ch Sampath Kumar, Drugs Inspector of Bhadradri-Kothagudem, were among the officers conducting the raid.
Further investigations will be carried out, and legal action will be taken against all offenders. The pricing of Essential Medicines must adhere to the Ceiling Prices set by the Central Government, and any overpricing constitutes a violation under the Drugs (Prices Control) Order, 2013, leading to stringent legal actions against violators, a DCA statement said.(UNI)
