Khammam: Illegal pharma facility busted

Khammam : The sleuths of Drugs Control Administration (DCA) busted an illicit drugs manufacturing facility at the TSHIC Industrial park at Annarugudem village of Tallada mandal in the district.

In a statement on Saturday, Director General (Drugs Control Administration), VB Kamalasan Reddy informed that based on credible information, a special team of officers of DCA raided an unlicensed premise located at plot number 15 at the industrial park on December 22, which belonged to Aspen Biopharma.

As part of the investigation officers detected illicit manufacturing of drugs at the facility. Active pharmaceutical ingredients, Valsartan and Clopidogrel were also found. Stock of drugs weighing about 935 kg was found, which was then seized.

“The facility was being operated by one, Upender Reddy, a close relative of Kadari Sateesh Reddy, whose unlicensed premises at Macha Bollaram in Hyderabad was raided by DCA officers on December 4 where spurious anticancer and other drugs worth Rs 4.35 crore were seized,” said the DG of DCA.

“Sateesh Reddy, the prime accused, who absconded on December 4 following the seizure of spurious drugs from his premises was also the key conspirator in this illegal facility,” he said.

DCA’s deputy director C Rajavardhana Chary, assistant director G Prasad, drug inspectors K Devender Reddy, Ch Anil Kumar and Ch Sampath Kumar were among the officers who carried out the raid.

The illicit drugs manufacturing unit’s production manager Kanugula Raju, store in-charge Vasanthapuram Sambashiva Rao and office in-charge Sappidi Sudhakar Reddy of the firm were present during the raid, which was conducted with the help of the local police.

The samples of the drugs were lifted for analysis. “Further investigation would be carried out and action would be taken as per the law against all the offenders, said the DG.