Archive · 21 Sep 2026
Karnataka FDA Cancels 16 Licences in Spurious Drugs Case
Karnataka officials found an alleged illegal medicine-repackaging operation near Bengaluru.
The raid happened on August 18 at a farmhouse in Bidadi.
Officials said cheaper medicines were put into new containers and given labels that made them look expensive.
Some labels allegedly used the Pfizer name.
The products also had QR codes that did not work when checked.
Officials seized medicines, machines and printing materials worth about Rs 5.05 crore.
The FDA cancelled 16 licences and suspended eight more.
Officials warned that fake medicines might contain wrong or harmful ingredients.
Karnataka FDA cancelled 16 drug licences and suspended eight others linked to alleged spurious-medicine distribution.
The action followed an August 18 raid on an unlicensed repacking unit at a farmhouse in Kurubarakeranahalli, Bidadi.
Officials seized alleged spurious drugs, machinery and printing materials valued at about Rs 5.05 crore.
Investigators said low-cost medicines from other states were allegedly relabelled as expensive multinational-company medicines, including products bearing the Pfizer name.
Of the 24 firms affected, 22 were based in Bengaluru, while one each was in Hubballi and Belagavi.
- Who
- The Karnataka Food Safety and Drug Administration, supported by a Special Investigation Team formed by Health and Family Welfare Minister U.T. Khader, took action against 24 pharmaceutical firms.
- What
- Authorities cancelled 16 drug licences and suspended eight others over an alleged unlicensed operation that repackaged and relabelled medicines.
- When
- The raid occurred on August 18, and the licence actions were announced on Sunday; one report described the raid as occurring about a month earlier.
- Where
- The alleged operation was located at a farmhouse in Kurubarakeranahalli, Bidadi, in Bengaluru South district; 22 affected firms were based in Bengaluru, with one each in Hubballi and Belagavi.
- Why
- Officials alleged that low-cost medicines were being made to resemble expensive life-saving medicines and warned that the products could pose a serious public-health risk.
- Licences cancelled
- 16
- Licences suspended
- 8
- Firms affected
- 24 pharmaceutical retailers, wholesalers or distributors
- Raid location
- A farmhouse in Kurubarakeranahalli, Bidadi, Bengaluru South district
- Seizure value
- About Rs 5.05 crore; the inventory was estimated at Rs 4.91 crore
- Geographic distribution
- 22 firms in Bengaluru, one in Hubballi and one in Belagavi
- Alleged method
- Low-cost medicines were allegedly repackaged and relabelled as expensive multinational-company medicines
