Archive · 10 Dec 2025
Maharashtra Cancels Licences Over Substandard Medicines
In Maharashtra, the government has taken strong action against shops and wholesalers selling bad medicines.
They checked many stores and found that some medicines for cough, high blood pressure, diabetes, and other illnesses were not good quality.
The government cancelled the licenses of 176 shops and 39 wholesalers.
They also found that some medicines were fake or had wrong ingredients.
The government is working to hire more inspectors to check medicines and is upgrading their labs to make sure medicines are safe.
Licences of 176 retailers and 39 wholesalers were cancelled for selling substandard cough syrups and other medicines.
A special campaign by the FDA led to the inspection of 136 retailers and 93 wholesalers.
34 out of 36 tested samples were found to be substandard, including medicines for hypertension, diabetes, and tuberculosis.
Six samples of a specific brand of paediatric cough syrup were found to be of inferior quality.
The government is filling 109 vacant drug inspector posts and upgrading laboratories in Nashik and Pune.
- Who
- Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Minister Narhari Zirwal and Maharashtra state authorities
- What
- Cancellation of licences for substandard medicines and inspection of retailers and wholesalers
- When
- Over the past year, with a special campaign launched by the FDA in October 2024
- Where
- Across Maharashtra, including Mumbai, Thane, Pune, Aurangabad, and Nagpur divisions
- Why
- To address the issue of substandard and fake medicines being sold in the market
- Retailers Licences Cancelled
- 176
- Wholesalers Licences Cancelled
- 39
- Retailers Inspected
- 136
- Wholesalers Inspected
- 93
- Substandard Samples Found
- 34 out of 36
- Vacant Drug Inspector Posts
- 176
- Drug Inspector Posts to be Filled
- 109
- Testing Laboratories in Maharashtra
- 3 (Mumbai, Nagpur, Pune)