According to official sources, the government of Odisha has asked Bihar for assistance in stopping the flow of fraudulent medications from the neighbouring state.
The Odisha government took action in this regard after recently conducting searches in Cuttack and Bhubaneswar where large quantities of counterfeit tablets intended to treat high blood pressure were found.
Sanjay Jalal, owner of Puja Enterprises, and Rahul Syal, owner of VR Agencies, have been detained by the Commissionerate of Police, Bhubaneswar-Cuttack, after much uproar regarding their alleged involvement in the supply and sale of the fraudulent medications.
According to the Drugs and Cosmetics Act, these two medications were discovered to be fake based on a notification from the original producer.
The health and family welfare secretary of Odisha stated in a letter to the additional chief secretary of the health department of Bihar, “The abovementioned medicine was supplied to Odisha by a firm named Balaji Drug Point, Jail Press Road, Gaya, Bihar.
The letter further stated that the drug controller for Odisha had asked his counterpart in Bihar to give him information about the supplies made to the supplier in Gaya on September 7, 2022.
However, the Bihar Directorate of Drug Control has not yet provided Odisha with any feedback. The letter stated, “In this regard, Bihar Drug Controller may be requested to give reply of Odisha for speeding up the probe.”
“You will understand that concerns relating to fake pharmaceuticals need to be dealt with immediately in the interest of the general population.”
A team of two officers and two police officers has been sent to Bihar in the meantime to continue the inquiry into this matter.
The Odisha government remarked that in order to bring things to a logical conclusion, it is desired that the appropriate orders be kindly issued to the responsible authorities to extend their assistance to the team deputed for the purpose.
Prasanta Patnaik