Stories
Punjab Seizes Rs 20 Crore Medicines and Suspends 520 Chemists in Major Crackdown
- •The Drugs Wing of the Food and Drugs Administration conducted 16,788 inspections resulting in the seizure of medicines worth Rs 20.64 crore from 214 firms.
- •Licences of 520 chemists were suspended and 22 licences were cancelled for violating the Drugs and Cosmetics Act and Drugs Rules.
- •A total of 54 court cases were instituted, leading to 35 convictions with fines, while 650 cases remain under trial across district courts.
- •The central government included Pregabalin under Schedule H1 following repeated requests from Punjab to curb the misuse of habit-forming medicines.
- •Punjab raised concerns over the unregulated online sale of intoxicants through e-pharmacies and exorbitant medicine price variations.
Key Questions Answered
Between April 1, 2025, and September 30, 2026, the Drugs Wing conducted 16,788 inspections, seizing Rs 20.64 crore worth of medicines from 214 firms. Additionally, the licences of 520 chemists were suspended and 22 chemists' licences were cancelled for violating the Drugs and Cosmetics Act, 1940, and the Drugs Rules, 1945.
The government of India included Pregabalin under Schedule H1 of the Drugs Rules, 1945, via a notification dated May 13, 2026. This provision, which aims to curb the misuse of habit-forming medicines, is set to come into force on November 12, 2026.
The Punjab government raised concerns with the Union Health Minister over the absence of regulatory rules for online medicine sales through e-pharmacies, which sell misuse-prone drugs. The state also addressed exorbitant medicine prices and pricing variations, noting that effective action only followed the intervention of the Supreme Court of India.
