After selling two crore tablets, Haryana chemist on the run

A chemist in Haryana's Sirsa town is on the run after drug control authorities in the state found that he had allegedly sold over two crore (20 million) tablets of Alprazolam, a schedule H drug that cannot be sold without prescription, within less than six months.

Officials of Haryana's Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Wednesday said the chemist, Amit Kumar, who owns a chemist shop, Anshu Medicose in Sirsa town, 300 km from here, ran away from the spot when a team of drug officials raided his premises Monday.
The police have registered a case against Amit Kumar after investigations by drug officials revealed that he had allegedly sold over two crore tablets of the drug between April and September.

"Alprazolam, being a schedule H drug, cannot be sold without the prescription of a medical practitioner. The sale of two crore tablets within a very short period reflected that he was selling it in an unauthorized manner," a spokesman of the FDA said here Wednesday.
He alleged that Amit Kumar was known in Sirsa as the 'kingpin of intoxicants'.

"Earlier, whenever the FDA team used to raid the premises of M/s Anshu Medicose, they couldn't find anything objectionable. But this time, a team enquired from the pharmaceutical manufacturer, Gaurav Pharmaceuticals, about the billing of alprazolam tablets to Anshu Medicose. Gaurav Pharmaceuticals gave the details of billing that from April 1 to  Sep 7, 2012, a total of two crore tablets of alprazolam had been  invoiced," the spokesman said.

The drug officials got a case registered against the chemist under the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and the Drug and Cosmetics Act.

Alprazolam drug is used in anxiety and panic disorders under prescription from doctors. However, it is misused by drug addicts and alcoholics for drug abuse.