Six Indian pharma companies may face product ban in Sri Lanka for marketing ‘contaminated’ drugs

Six Indian companies are facing the risk of getting blacklisted and their products banned in Sri Lankan pharmaceutical market for allegedly marketing contaminated drug products including vaccines.

Update: Sri Lanka bans 2 Indian companies

Indian pharma companies Kilitch Drugs (India) Pvt. Limited, Umedica Laboratories Pvt. Ltd, Belco Pharma, Vins Biotech, Backster India and Mercury Laboratory have been asked to submit their explanations companies with regard to the medicinal drugs contaminated with glass particles and plastic recently by the Ministry of Health of Sri Lanka.

The companies have been warned the their names would be blacklisted and their products will be banned from being sold in Sri Lanka, said the Health Ministry, reports from Sri Lankan media said quoting the health ministry authorities.

“The detection of glass and plastic particles were a serious breach of medical ethics and called for serious measures to be taken against those responsible,” Sri Lankan health minister Nimal Siripala de Silva has reportedly said during a discussion.

Kilitch Drugs (India) Pvt. Limited, Umedica Laboratories Pvt. Ltd, Belco Pharma, Vins Biotech, Backster India and Mercury Laboratory are expected to submit their explanations during a special inquiry at the National Pharmaceutical Authority of Sri Lankan government.

The Mumbai, India-based Kilitch Drugs (India) Ltd is a manufacturer, exporter and supplier of pharmaceutical formulations including sterile liquid formulations and antibacterial parenteral formulations in India.

With US FDA & MHRA compliant injection plant Kilitch manufactures cephalosporins and   contract manufacturers sterile dry powder formulations in India as well as carbapenems,  steroid formulations,  antimalarials, doripenem injection, hormones injectables etc.

Umedica Laboratories Ltd, Mumbai is part of a Amoli Group of Companies, manufacturing and exporting a wide range of injectables, tablets, capsules, suspensions, dry syrups in the categories of non-steriodal anti-inflammatory (NSAIDs), antibiotics, antifungal, analgesics, antiviral, antituberculosis agents, antihistamines, psychotropics and multivitamins etc.

Umedica’s manufacturing facilities, located in Vapi, Gujarat.Umedica is a government recognized export house, with exports to over 35 countries, and has won the ‘Chemexcil Top Export Award’ for performance in exports.

Based in New Delhi, northern India Belco Pharma is a WHO certified pharmaceutical company  engaged in the manufacture and sale of generic and proprietary pharmaceutical products. Belco Pharma is a generic pharmaceutical company manufacturing human Pharmaceuticals and animal health products. Belco offers, wide range of more than two hundred plus prescriptions and OTC formulations in pharmaceutical dosage forms, like capsules, tablets, ointments, liquid orals, powders and small volume parenteral preparations.

Hyderabad, south India based Vins Bioproducts Limited commenced work to develop AntiSnake Venom Serum (ASVS), which was launched in early 2000. Vins’ ASVS is available in the ready to inject liquid form and the lyophilized form, which is easy to handle, transport and store. The product enjoys a market share of almost 40% of the Indian ASVS market. Vins also develop of Anti Rabies Serum (ARS).Vins also produces as anti sera anti toxins for tentanus, diphtheria etc.