In a major crackdown, the Karnataka Food Safety and Drugs Administration has cancelled 16 drug licences and suspended eight others as part of its investigation into the spurious drug racket unravelled at a farmhouse at Bengaluru’s Bidadi area. The incident follows a raid conducted by the FDA’s Drug Enforcement Wing on August 18, 2026, at a farmhouse in Kurubarakeranahalli, Bidadi.
The FDA officials alleged that the property was being used for repacking and relabelling of medicines. Initial probe revealed that low-cost medicines procured from other states were allegedly being refilled into new vials and relabelled as expensive life-saving drugs of multinational brands, including products carrying forged Pfizer labels. The FDA said the QR/scanning codes on the counterfeit labels were found to be non-functional.
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Drugs Worth 5.05 Crore Seized
The FDA officials seized stock, including 5,640 vials of CEFIAVIGENT 2.5 Injection, valued at around Rs 3.38 crore, and 1,531 vials of HIZLAM Injectables, worth approximately Rs 52.24 lakh.
Expired medicines valued at about Rs 35 lakh were seized from the farmhouse. The seizure included injections, filling machinery, forged labels and stamps. The food and drug safety officials also found 30 boxes of expired medicines during the raid. The FDA said counterfeit labels used in the operation carried QR and scanning codes, but these were found to be non-functional during verification.
Several rules violated
The investigation uncovered several violations related to the manufacture, storage and distribution of medicines without the required licence under the Drugs and Cosmetics Act, 1940.
The FDA officials discovered that lower-cost medicines were being relabelled and presented as premium brands. Authorities said such practices raise concerns over the authenticity, composition and safety of medicines reaching patients.
The stock of expired medicines at the premises also raised concerns over their possible re-entry into the supply chain. The FDA is examining how the medicines were sourced, repackaged and distributed.
16 Licences Cancelled
1. M/s Avesco Healthcare — Bengaluru — Wholesale
2. M/s Bangalore Speciality Pharma — Shivaji Nagar, Bengaluru (Wholesale)
3. M/s Bengalurus Speciality Pharma — Museum Road, Bengaluru (Wholesale)
4. M/s Patel Medi Trade — Gubbalala, Bengaluru (Wholesale)
5. M/s Rajarajeshwari Pharma — Rajarajeshwari Nagar, Bengaluru (Wholesale)
6. M/s N.S. Pharma — Hubballi (Wholesale)
7. M/s Surya Specialty Pharma — Kumaraswamy Layout, Bengaluru (Wholesale and Retail)
8. M/s SWS Pharma — K.G. Halli, Bengaluru (Wholesale)
9. M/s Krupa Healthcare — Mavalli, Bengaluru (Wholesale)
10. M/s St. Philomena Hospital Drug Centre (Main Pharmacy) — Bengaluru (Wholesale and Retail)
11. M/s Sagar Pharma (Div. of Sagar Healthcare and Diagnostic Services Pvt Ltd) — Bengaluru (Wholesale and Retail)
12. M/s Zymus Pharma — Raghuvanahalli, Bengaluru (Retail)
13. M/s Fortune Medical Solutions — BSK 3rd Stage, Bengaluru (Wholesale)
14. M/s Excelcare Pharma (Unit of Excelcare Health Alliance Pvt Ltd) — BSK 2nd Stage, Bengaluru (Wholesale)
15. M/s Patel Medicals — Padmanabhanagar, Bengaluru (Retail)
16. M/s Bangalore Speciality Pharma — Chamarajpet, Bengaluru (Wholesale)
Licences Suspended - 8
M/s Med Pharma — Doddakammanahalli, Bengaluru (Wholesale)
M/s Surya Speciality Hospital — Bommasandra, Bengaluru (Wholesale)
M/s Sagar Pharma (Unit-II) — Tilaknagar, Bengaluru (Wholesale and Retail)
M/s Vivantha Pharmaceuticals — Jayanagar, Bengaluru (Wholesale)
M/s Maruthi Medicals — Vijayanagar, Bengaluru (Wholesale)
M/s Viva Pharma — Belagavi (Wholesale)
M/s Hi-5 Pharma — K.G. Halli, Bengaluru (Wholesale and Retail)
M/s Pfizer Ltd — Kempanalinganahalli, Nelamangala, Bengaluru Rural (Wholesale)
The FDA says these actions were taken against retailers/wholesalers involved in the sale and supply of the spurious drugs.