Hyderabad: Officials from the Telangana Drugs Control Administration (DCA) seized tablets from Siddipet district that were being falsely marketed as food products or nutraceuticals. The product – Metnuron-OD Tablets – were found in Pragnapur village, Gajwel mandal, Siddipet district.
During the raids carried out on Wednesday and Thursday by DCA officials of Siddipet Zone, they found that the product claims to contain Calcium Carbonate 500mg, Alpha Lipoic Acid 200mg, Benfotiamine 150 mg, Inositol 100mg, Chromium Picolinate 200mcg, Pyridoxine HCl 3mg, Folic Acid 1.5mg, Vitamin D3 1000IU, and Methylcobalamin 1500mcg. Its composition classifies it as a drug, said the DCA in a release.
“These tablets were falsely manufactured under a ‘food license (FSSAI license)’ and falsely claimed to be a food product/nutraceutical,” V B Kamalasan Reddy, DCA director general.
The tablets were found to be illegally manufactured at Medicant Nutrients based in Haryana and were being marketed by SiriMed (A Division of Sanus Biotech) Sanus Biotech., Hyderabad, as a food product/nutraceutical. It is classified as a ‘drug’ according to the Drugs and Cosmetics Act.
The product ‘Metnuron-OD Tablets’ has to be manufactured only under a drug license issued under the Drugs and Cosmetics Act, adhering strictly to the ‘Good Manufacturing Practices’ (GMP) outlined in Schedule-M of the Drugs Rules, said the DCA. Additionally, it must meet the quality standards prescribed in the ‘Indian Pharmacopoeia’ (IP) as mandated, said the Director General.
The drugs that are falsely manufactured and sold under a food license are not produced in accordance with ‘Good Manufacturing Practices’ (GMPs) and often fail to meet the quality standards prescribed in the Indian Pharmacopoeia (IP), stated Kamalasan Reddy.
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