Dikhyaa Mohanty 
Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik ordered a Crime Branch probe into the rampant trading of counterfeit drugs in the state. This came forward following the seizure of nine counterfeit drugs in Cuttack city on June 11.
According to the reports, the Drug Control officials during a raid on a medicine wholesale godown at Kanika Chhak in Tulasipur area in Cuttack city on June 11 had seized several cartons of counterfeit medicines estimated at Rs 70 lakh including 17,000 fake Favipiravir tablets.
After that day the officials raided a medicine wholesale counter at Malha Sahi in Mangalabag, Cuttack and seized five counterfeit medicines, including some medicines manufactured by Max Relief Healthcare Ltd at Solan in Himachal Pradesh and some manufactured by the Medilloyd Medicament Pvt Ltd.
Following the seizure, the Directorate of Drug Controller had provided a detailed list of the number of fake medicines supplied by the medicine wholesale godown at Kanika Chhak to the district drug inspectors.
All the raids were conducted on several medicine outlets and godowns in Balangir, Jharsuguda, Sambalpur, Kalahandi and Rourkela. The report further added that the state government had received a tip-off from the Food and Drug Administration, Maharashtra that spurious Favipiravir tablets (Favimax-400), allegedly manufactured by one Max Relief Health Care, Solan, Himachal Pradesh, and had allegedly been purchased by a Cuttack-based pharmaceutical wholesaler.
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