Telangana DCA seizures on spurious, illegally sold medicines touch Rs 1.39 crore in 2025

Hyderabad: The Drugs Control Administration (DCA), Telangana, intensified its regulatory and enforcement actions in 2025, conducting widespread raids, inspections and prosecutions to curb the circulation of substandard, spurious and illegally sold medicines.

According to the Annual Report 2025, the department carried out 244 seizures, detected 84 Not of Standard Quality (NSQ) drugs and seized medicines worth Rs 1.39 crore during the year.

Officials said the actions were part of the State government’s commitment to ensuring that only safe, efficacious and quality medicines are available to the public.

Heightened vigilance and statewide enforcement

During 2025, the DCA adopted a proactive surveillance strategy, combining inspections, intelligence-based raids, and inter-departmental coordination to address emerging public health risks.

In total, the department conducted 28,816 inspections across Telangana and initiated 5,278 actions after detecting regulatory violations under various Acts enforced by the department.

Senior officials stated that enforcement efforts were focused not only on retail outlets but also on godowns, transport channels and illegal manufacturing units to prevent unsafe medicines from reaching patients.

Breakdown of cases registered in 2025

The Annual Report provides a detailed account of cases registered during the year:

• Spurious drug rackets busted: 6

• Unlicensed medical shops, godowns, and illegal stocking/sale of drugs: 36

• Quacks or unauthorised medical practitioners with unlicensed drug sale: 38

• Misleading advertisements: 140

• Unlicensed manufacturing of drugs: 4

• Drugs illegally manufactured and sold as food products or nutraceuticals: 9

• Price control violations: 2

• Other seizures (expired drugs, banned/prohibited FDCs, physician samples, improper storage, NSQ drugs): 9

Officials said misleading advertisements, especially those making unverified therapeutic claims, emerged as a major area of concern during the year.

Detection of sub-standard drugs

The DCA analysed 4,801 drug samples in 2025, of which 84 were found to be Not of Standard Quality. Action was initiated against the manufacturers of these drugs under the provisions of the Drugs and Cosmetics Act.

Authorities said continuous sampling and testing remain central to the department’s strategy to prevent unsafe medicines from entering the supply chain.

Convictions and legal outcomes

The enforcement drive led to significant legal outcomes during the year:

• Total convictions: 217 cases

• Total acquittals: 27 cases

Officials noted that sustained follow-up of cases and coordination with prosecution agencies helped improve conviction rates.

Crackdown on spurious drug networks

One of the major focus areas in 2025 was the detection of spurious (counterfeit) drug networks. The DCA reported busting multiple organised rackets involving counterfeit medicines falsely labelled as products of reputed pharmaceutical companies.

The seized spurious drugs included commonly used categories such as anti-cholesterol medicines, antihistamines, and anti-epileptic drugs. Several consignments were traced to interstate illegal transport routes, with Hyderabad and other parts of Telangana identified as circulation points.

Officials said the findings pointed to organised interstate networks, prompting closer coordination with enforcement agencies in other States.

Commitment to public health

The DCA stated that its actions in 2025 reflect a continued commitment to safeguarding public health through proactive surveillance, strict enforcement and timely prosecution.

Officials reiterated that regulatory vigilance will be further strengthened in 2026 to prevent offences related to medicines and ensure compliance across the pharmaceutical supply chain in Telangana.