Maharashtra’s Food and Drug Administration (FDA) seized medicines worth about Rs 19.11 crore and initiated 1,144 regulatory actions between June and September, intensifying inspections of drug manufacturers and sellers across the state. The action included 33 criminal cases, 14 arrests, 288 licence cancellations and 856 licence suspensions.
The FDA conducted 4,256 inspections during the four-month period, a sharp increase from the monthly average recorded in April and May. The reported figures show that the average monthly inspections of medicine-related establishments rose about 4.6 times, from 234 during April and May to 1,064 between June and September.
The enforcement drive covered both manufacturing and sales establishments. In April and May, officials inspected 120 manufacturing units and 347 sales establishments, taking a total of 437 actions. Between June and September, inspections increased to 965 manufacturing establishments and 3,291 sales establishments.
The rise in inspections was accompanied by a substantial increase in regulatory action. The FDA issued 1,402 notices during the four-month period. Licences for 288 establishments were permanently cancelled, while 856 licences were suspended, according to the reported figures.
The seizures included stock linked to unlicensed possession and sale of medicines. Of the actions taken between June and September, 43 related to unlicensed medicine stock or sales. The FDA also acted in 31 cases involving objectionable advertisements, 14 cases involving counterfeit medicines and cosmetics, and 10 cases concerning cosmetics with incorrect branding.
Additional actions involved narcotic and psychotropic substances, medical devices, similar brand names and labelling violations. Nine cases were registered under laws relating to narcotic and psychotropic substances, while three actions each concerned medical devices and similar brand names. Two actions involved violations of labelling rules.
The reported crackdown highlights the scale of oversight required across Maharashtra’s medicine supply chain, which includes manufacturers, distributors, pharmacies and other sales establishments. The inspection data also indicate that sales establishments accounted for the larger share of inspections during the period, with 3,291 checks compared with 965 at manufacturing units.
The FDA’s action comes as regulators focus on the legality, quality, branding and marketing of medicines, cosmetics and medical devices available to consumers. The reported cases cover multiple forms of non-compliance, ranging from unauthorised sales and counterfeit products to advertising and labelling violations. The source report did not provide details of the individual establishments involved or the next scheduled enforcement review.
