FSDA cancels 16 pharmacy licences, suspends 8, including Pfizer depot

Health and Family Welfare Minister U.T. Khader. | Photo Credit: File photo The Karnataka Food Safety and Drugs Administration (FSDA) has cancelled the licences of 16 pharmaceutical retailers and wholesalers and suspended those of eight others, including the licence of multinational firm Pfizer’s depot in Nelamangala, in connection with the ongoing investigation into the alleged distribution and sale of spurious drugs.The action follows the department’s investigation into a large-scale unlicenced drug repacking and relabelling racket uncovered at a farmhouse in Bengaluru South district’s Bidadi on August 18. The FSDA had seized spurious drugs, machinery and printing material worth ₹5.05 crore from the premises. When the preliminary investigation revealed the potential involvement of a large network, the State government formed a Special Investigation Team (SIT) headed by IPS officer C. Vamsi Krishna.Health Minister U.T. Khader addressed the press on Sunday (September 20) and said the licences of suspicious firms/pharmacies had been cancelled and those of a few others suspended for not cooperating with the SIT’s investigation. “We have stopped Pfizer’s sale in the State because they did not cooperate with the investigation,” Mr. Khader said. He added that he could not reveal much about the case as the SIT was investigating.The Minister further stressed that strict action would be taken against those named in the SIT report after the investigation, regardless of how powerful or influential they might be.When questioned about where people should go for medicines in such a situation, Mr. Khader said, “At present, everything is original in the government hospitals,” reiterating that medicines at government hospitals are safe.Licences cancelled and suspendedAccording to the list shared by the FSDA, the firms whose licences have been cancelled include Avesco Healthcare in Prabhakar Reddy Layout, Bengaluru Speciality Pharma in Shivajinagar, Museum Road in Chamarajpet; Patel Medi Trade in Jayanagar, N.S. Pharma in Hubballi, and Sagar Pharma in Kumaraswamy Layout, among others.The firms whose licences have been suspended include Sagar Pharma in Tilak Nagar, Surya Speciality Hospital in Bommasandra Industrial Area, and Vivanta Pharmaceuticals in Jayanagar, among others.In a press statement, the FSDA urged citizens to buy medicines from licenced pharmacies and against valid tax invoices. It also urged people to report suspicious packaging or non-functional QR codes on drug labels.What is the case?According to the FSDA, the accused allegedly procured low-cost medicines from neighbouring States, refilled them into new vials and relabelled them as expensive, life-saving drugs of multinational companies. The department also seized 30 boxes of expired drugs, along with injection-filling machinery, forged labels and stamps.The FSDA said the batch numbers and entries of the seized drugs had been blocked on its portal to prevent their further sale or distribution. Samples have also been sent for laboratory testing to verify their chemical composition, sterility and potency.The department noted that the premises in Bidadi were being used to manufacture, store and distribute drugs without a valid licence. A criminal case has been registered under the Drugs and Cosmetics Act, 1940. Published - September 20, 2026 08:41 pm IST