Dikhyaa Mohanty 
The Central Drug Standards Control Organization (CDSCO) on Friday identified four medications as fake, including the antacid Pan D and the widely used calcium supplement Shelcal 500. The other medications identified as bogus in CDSCO’s most recent monthly report for September are Deca-Durabolin 25 Injection, which is used to treat osteoporosis in postmenopausal women, and Urimax D, which is used to treat Benign Prostate Hyperplasia (BPH), or enlargement of the prostate gland. The FDA said that fraudulent businesses were producing the four medications.
In addition, 49 medicines and formulations produced by 40 businesses were identified as not of standard quality (NSQ) in the regulator’s monthly action against fraudulent pharmaceuticals. Drugs classified as NSQ don’t fulfill the quality requirements established by international or national agencies. These 49 were among the 3,000 medications that CDSCO has recalled batch-by-batch. Among the medications on the list are the antacid Pan 40 pills and the antibiotic Clavam 625, both produced by Alkem Health Science. Additionally, it contains the antibiotics Ciprodac 500 and Monocef, which are produced by Cadila Pharmaceuticals and Aristo Pharmaceuticals, respectively.
According to reports, a representative for Alkem Laboratories defended the business by claiming that the medicine samples selected by the CDSCO were phony and not produced by Alkem. “The company is dedicated to providing patients with high-quality medications,” he said.
“We have informed the regulator of the same and will continue to work with the authorities to help curb the spurious drug menace in the country,” media reports quoted the spokesperson as saying.
Further, the regulatory body also released a state list of 18 drugs, manufactured by 14 companies that were found to be NSQ under various degrees of counts. These include seven drugs manufactured out of Uttarakhand and five from Kerala, including four drugs manufactured by the Kerala Medical Services Corporation.
