New Delhi: A silent and dangerous epidemic is unfolding across India’s medicine markets. Expired drugs are allegedly being repackaged with fresh labels and barcodes, then pushed back into circulation — turning life-saving medicines into potential health hazards.
From Delhi to Bihar, law enforcement agencies are battling an organised network accused of recycling expired stock, manufacturing spurious formulations, and selling them through bogus medical fronts. Despite thousands of arrests and massive seizures, the supply chain continues to mutate and expand.
Between 2021 and June 2025, more than 6,000 cases have been registered nationwide in connection with expired and spurious medicines. Over 8,000 accused individuals have been arrested, and more than 45 lakh tablets, capsules, and injections confiscated. Yet officials admit these figures likely represent only a fraction of what is actually circulating in the market.
The mounting seizures have intensified public health concerns, especially as commonly used medicines feature prominently in alerts issued by the country’s top drug regulator.
The Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation (CDSCO) publishes monthly drug alert reports identifying Not of Standard Quality (NSQ) and spurious drugs. Its 2024–2025 reports paint a troubling picture.
In September 2025 alone, 112 drug samples were declared NSQ — 52 flagged by central laboratories and 60 by state labs. August 2025 recorded 94 NSQ samples, including widely used drugs such as paracetamol, pantoprazole, and cefpodoxime. January 2025 saw 145 samples fail quality standards, while December 2024 recorded 135 NSQ samples, including dexamethasone sodium phosphate injections.
Among the medicines flagged were Paracetamol 500 mg tablets, Pantoprazole 40 mg tablets, Cefpodoxime Proxetil 200 mg tablets, Dexamethasone sodium phosphate injections, and Amoxicillin with potassium clavulanate tablets — staples in households and hospitals alike.
Brands identified in various alerts include Zerodol-SP manufactured by Ipca Laboratories, Defcort by Macleods Pharmaceuticals, Telmisartan tablets by BENNET Pharmaceuticals, Amikacin Injection by Agron Remedies, and Pantoprazole tablets by Orison Pharma International, among others.
Ajay Narag, a senior drug controller, said regulatory measures are being intensified. “CDSCO regularly publishes lists of NSQ and spurious drugs. Regulatory actions include issuing alerts, withdrawing affected batches from the market, taking action against manufacturers and distributors, and conducting enforcement investigations,” he said.
But on the ground, criminal syndicates appear to be adapting faster than enforcement agencies.
In a recent breakthrough, the Anti-Narcotics Task Force (ANTF) of the Delhi Police Crime Branch busted an inter-state illegal factory manufacturing spurious medicines and syrups.
Mr. Sanjeev Kumar Yadav, Delhi Special Cell DCP. Photo Credit ANI
According to DCP/ANTF Sanjeev Kumar Yadav, the crackdown followed the exposure of two illegal pharmaceutical units in Bihar. Acting on technical and human intelligence gathered from previous arrests, police traced the operation to a suspect identified as Brijesh, who was allegedly running an illegal manufacturing and repackaging unit near Patna.
The factory, raided in coordination with the Bihar drug department, was found operating without a valid manufacturing licence and without mandatory qualified chemists. Investigators recovered a massive stockpile – including 590 strips of Clavam-25, over 30,000 m-Moxi tablets, more than 53,000 Embicet tablets, 10,000 Vicks Action tablets, 8,000 Trypsin tablets, 8,000 expired Omez capsules, and unlabelled codeine syrup. Equipment such as industrial stirrers, drums, empty PET bottles, and labelling materials was also seized.
Police suspect that expired medicines were being repackaged and reintroduced into the market at inflated prices through bogus medical outlets.
So far, the operation has led to nine arrests and the seizure of over 13 kilograms of Tramadol powder and more than 500 grams of Alprazolam. The crackdown spanned thousands of kilometres across multiple states.
“This action marks another step in dismantling narcotics and psychotropic substance trafficking networks operating in the country,” Yadav said. “Our operation underlines our relentless commitment to cracking down on drug trafficking and moving towards the dream of a drug-free India and Delhi.”
Yet even as enforcement agencies claim victories, health experts warn that the circulation of expired and substandard drugs remains a ticking time bomb. For unsuspecting patients, the difference between cure and catastrophe may now lie hidden beneath a freshly pasted barcode.
(Cover Photo: AI Generated Image)
