Gurugram FDA makes fifth arrest in spurious blood pressure tablets case

The suspect’s manufacturing unit in Kashipur was involved in manufacturing food and supplements, but it illegally started manufacturing Telma-AM tablets

The Haryana Food and Drug Authority (FDA) has arrested the 49-year-old director of an immunoscience manufacturing unit in Uttarakhand’s Kashipur in connection with the seizure of spurious blood pressure medication sold in Gurugram, a senior FDA official said.

The suspect was detained in Kashipur, and produced before a court which remanded him in judicial custody for 14 days.

“The suspect’s manufacturing unit in Kashipur was involved in manufacturing food and supplements, but it illegally started manufacturing Telma-AM tablets and supplying them,” said Gurugram drug controller Suresh Kumar said. This is the fifth arrest in the case.

The suspect was detained in Kashipur, and produced before a court which remanded him in judicial custody for 14 days.

The authorities made two arrests in the case in July. Two more persons were later arrested earlier this month following the FDA’s investigation into the seizure of spurious drugs from a medical store in the city.

The tablets were sold in the market as the brand of a prominent pharmaceutical company, which denied that it manufactured the medicine strips seized by the authorities. Officials then got back to the suppliers - it was sold through an unlicensed establishment in Delhi - which led them to the manufacturing unit in Uttarakhand.