Show cause notice to 137 medical shops in Hyderabad over illegal sale of habit-forming drugs

The Telangana Standards Authority for Food and Essential Drugs (TG SAFE) has detected violations at 137 medical shops across Hyderabad during a special enforcement drive against the illegal sale and diversion of habit-forming drugs on Thursday (October 15).

The inspections covered Saroornagar, Balapur, Hayathnagar, Musheerabad, Secunderabad, Begumpet and Amberpet areas of Hyderabad. The inspections focused on the indiscriminate sale of habit-forming medicines, including Alprazolam, Nitrazepam, Tramadol, Tapentadol and Zolpidem tablets, codeine-containing cough syrups and Pregabalin-based formulations.

Enforcement teams used decoy operations and test purchases to check whether medical shops were selling medicines classified under Schedules H1 and X of the Drugs Rules without following the prescribed regulations.  The violations detected included selling prescription medicines without a valid prescription from a registered medical practitioner, failure to maintain prescription and Schedule H1 drug registers, and dispensing medicines in the absence of a registered pharmacist.

TG SAFE Officials also found instances of medicines being sold without bills, failure to maintain or produce sales and purchase bills, and irregularities in maintaining copies of transaction records.

Show-cause notices have been issued to all 137 medical shops where violations were detected. The Drugs Wing will initiate departmental action, including the suspension or cancellation of drug licences, in accordance with the Drugs and Cosmetics Act, 1940, and the rules framed under it.

TG SAFE has advised medical shops to exercise caution while dispensing prescription medicines and maintain the records mandated under the rules.