Rajasthan Issues Statewide Alert on Fake Allergy Medicine; Drug Officials Told to Intensify Checks

The Food Safety and Drug Control Commissionerate has declared a YL Pharma drug, Levocetirizine Dihydrochloride and Montelukast Sodium Tablets, as counterfeit. An alert has been issued to monitor the usage and sale of this drug throughout the state. Commissioner Dr. T. Shubhamangala said that samples of a drug firm, YL Pharma's Levocetirizine Dihydrochloride and Montelukast Sodium Tablets were collected from two locations. These samples were sent to the State Drug Testing Laboratory in Jaipur, where testing revealed that the salt, Montelukast, was zero. Based on this, the drug has been declared counterfeit. Drug Controller First, Ajay Phatak, said that an alert notice has been issued to all Assistant Drug Controllers and Drug Control Officers and directed them to keep a close watch on the use and sale of this drug in their respective areas and also collect samples of other medicines from this company while exercising caution.

It is noteworthy that recently, cases of children dying in Rajasthan after consuming cough syrup supplied by Casson Pharma, distributed under the "Chief Minister's Free Scheme." The government's investigation report into this incident was also questioned. As pressure mounted, the government revised its investigation report, halting the distribution of all 19 medicines supplied by Casson Pharma, ordering the recall of 22 batches, and suspending Drug Controller Rajaram Sharma.

Principal Secretary to the Government, Gayatri Rathore, informed that after the formation of Rajasthan Medical Services Corporation, a total of 26 companies were banned during the financial year 2011-12 to 2024-25, whereas in the financial year 2025-26 itself, 07 pharmaceutical companies have been banned for supplying substandard medicines or not supplying them. Also, 40 products have been debarred, which is the biggest action taken so far in any financial year. Apart from this, penalty has been imposed on the companies in 06 cases.