Gujarat FDCA unearths fake Tocilizumab injections’ racket
Gandhinagar: The Gujarat Foods and Drugs Control Authority (FDCA) has unearthed a racket in the manufacture and sale of fake Tocilizumab injections, seizing machinery and raw material valued at Rs 8 lakh from a Surat premises.
Ahmedabad’s Dr Devang Shah stumbled upon the racket while using 400mg Tocilizumab injection of dubious quality during treatment of patient Lataben Baldua. The injection was procured by her relative.
Shah and the relative complained to the FDCA regarding the fake injection allegedly procured from M/s Maa Pharmacy in Sabarmati in Ahmedabad for Rs 1,35,000.
“While tracing the source pharmacy, it was found that the fake injection was procured from Harsh Bharatbhai Thakor of Chandkheda in Ahmedabad. Harsh in turn said that he had procured it from Nilesh Laliwala, the owner of Happy Chemist and Protein House in Paldi in Ahmedabad,” FDCA Commissioner Hemant Koshiya said.
“Nilesh told us that he had procured the injections from one Sohail Ismail Tai in Surat.”
The FDCA raided Sohail’s house in Surat, and seized filling and sealing machines, a coding machine, raw material, packaging material, valued at Rs 8 lakh,” added Koshiya.
“Sohail used to produce fake Nandrolone Decanoate 250 mg/ml injections in the name of Genic Pharma. Harsh Thakor and Nilesh Laliwala used to label these as Tocilizumab injections of 250 mg/ml under ‘Acterma’ brand, which is owned by Cipla, the only importer of Tocilizumab in India,” the official said.