Karnataka to monitor cancer patients for spurious drugs

Health Minister UT Khader says since fake medicines are not sold in government hospitals, monitoring patients to know their condition is out of the question. | Image to illustrate | Photo credit: Bevan Goldswain

After seizing counterfeit drugs, especially those used to treat cancer, officials from the Ministry of Health are now following up with patients to check their current health status.

The licenses of 16 retail and wholesale pharmaceutical companies were revoked and 8 licenses were suspended.

Speaking to The Hindu, Health and Family Welfare Minister UT Khader said, “Officials will monitor the records of cancer patients from various private hospitals across the state. We will call them and check their health status. They may have unknowingly bought these fake medicines.”

“We do not sell fake medicines in government hospitals and therefore monitoring patients to know their condition is out of the question,” he added.

Mr Khader said that to make it easier for laboratories, doctors and pharmaceutical companies to distinguish between counterfeit and genuine drugs, the department had written to Pfizer headquarters to publish its reference standards.

“When fake drugs are sent to labs for testing, we need to have reference standards of the company. This will facilitate the process of drug testing for our department. However, the company has not yet responded to our email. Therefore, we have written to the Union government to take note of the increasing number of fake drugs and medicines in the market, measures to identify them and prevent them from being sold to smaller drug manufacturers in medical shops. in the market for sale,” he said.

He added that an investigation into the counterfeit drugs is underway while the ministry is considering booking bogus drug manufacturers, distributors, pharmaceutical firms and medical shop owners under Section 105 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), under which if the act is committed with intent to cause death or bodily harm likely to cause death, the punishment depends on either life imprisonment from five years to imprisonment.

It will host an all-India health conclave in Bengaluru in the third week of October, said Health Minister UT Khader. “Health ministers from all states, FSDA officials from state governments, FSSAI officials and other stakeholders will be part of the conclave. We will not only debate and discuss but take some strong decisions to deal with problems like counterfeit drugs across the country,” he said.

Published – 22 Sep 2026 0:50 AM IST