The Rajasthan Drug Control Department has canceled the license of a Kota-based pharmaceutical distribution company accused of supplying fake oxytocin injections to Kota hospitals, where several women died after caesarean section, even as the World Health Organization seeks a report from the Union government on the issue.
They relate to five maternal deaths at JK Lone Hospital and the super specialty ward of Government Medical College, Kota, from May 5 to 17. Earlier, the authorities canceled the manufacturing license of the Amritsar-based company from which the injections were sourced.
According to Dr Nirmala Sharma, superintendent of GK Lone Hospital, Kota, oxytocin is given to induce labor and prevent excessive bleeding after delivery.
The license revocation followed a May 19 inspection at the distributor’s headquarters in Jaipur’s Indraprastha Industrial Estate, where officials reportedly found counterfeit oxytocin injections and several regulatory violations.
In an order issued on June 23, Assistant Drug Controller Devendra Garg said samples of Tocin brand oxytocin injections supplied to hospitals failed quality tests. Laboratory analysis found that the oxytocin content in the injection was zero, rendering the drug ineffective.
The investigation also revealed discrepancies in the company’s purchasing and sales records. Officials found that the distributor purchased 9,300 doses from Amritsar-based M/s Jackson Laboratories, but sold 10,050 doses. This gap raised questions about the source of the additional 750 syringes that allegedly entered the market.
During the inspection, officials also discovered that the company representative, identified as Shadab Khan, was absent, while the owner Mahesh Mittal was allegedly handling the sale and distribution of medicines. A show-cause notice was issued to the company on May 21 seeking an explanation for the irregularities.
HT tried to contact the company owner but did not get a response.
Hizb ut Tahrir also tried to contact the World Health Organization and the Ministry of Health to get a response regarding the action taken regarding maternal deaths in Kota. But no response was received at the time of printing.
Officials said an investigation is underway to find out whether the alleged counterfeit medicine supply chain contributed to maternal deaths and whether regulatory loopholes allowed the alleged counterfeit injections to reach patients in government hospitals.
