<p>Karnataka’s war on spurious and substandard drugs is being fought with empty ranks. Even as the memories of maternal deaths and serious complications linked to contaminated medicines in different parts of the state remain fresh, the enforcement machinery meant to protect patients has been crippled by the acute shortage of drug inspectors. Laws exist, amendments have been passed, and promises have been made, but without personnel on the ground, regulation remains largely theoretical.</p><p>Of the 112 sanctioned posts of drug inspectors, only eight are filled. Over the past three years, the state Drugs Control Department has filed fewer than 25 cases against those selling spurious or adulterated drugs. In 2023-24, just 10 cases were registered; in 2024-25, the number fell to seven; and in 2025-26, it has stagnated at seven so far. This information, disclosed in a written reply during the recent Assembly session, exposes a disturbing mismatch between the magnitude of the problem and the state’s response.</p>.<p>Recruitment has been frozen for nearly four years after the selection list published by the Karnataka Public Service Commission was challenged in the courts, eventually reaching the Supreme Court. While officers claim licences of offenders have been suspended, they also concede that core enforcement functions – quality checks, sampling, and prosecution – have suffered. This vacuum has consequences beyond counterfeit medicines. Self-styled gurus and vaidyas continue to peddle unproven cures for serious ailments, cleverly marketing them as food supplements under Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) licences. The recent case of a Bengaluru techie losing over Rs 48 lakh to a quack is a stark reminder of how regulatory gaps are being exploited to defraud and endanger citizens.</p>.<p>The state has amended the Drugs and Cosmetics Act, 1940, making certain offences cognisable and non-bailable to curb racketeering in the sale of adulterated and duplicate drugs. These are welcome steps. But rules without enforcement serve little purpose. The challenge is compounded by Karnataka’s limited jurisdiction over pharmaceutical manufacturing units located outside the state. </p><p>Health Minister Dinesh Gundu Rao has repeatedly appealed to the Union Health Ministry to set up a centralised tracking system and stricter penalties for errant manufacturers. There is still no unified national mechanism to enable real-time, physical recalls from private pharmacies across state boundaries. The government must urgently move the apex court for early disposal of the case, highlighting how this paralysis is undermining patient safety and enabling spurious drugs to circulate unchecked. Public health cannot be held hostage to procedural delays.</p>
<p>Karnataka’s war on spurious and substandard drugs is being fought with empty ranks. Even as the memories of maternal deaths and serious complications linked to contaminated medicines in different parts of the state remain fresh, the enforcement machinery meant to protect patients has been crippled by the acute shortage of drug inspectors. Laws exist, amendments have been passed, and promises have been made, but without personnel on the ground, regulation remains largely theoretical.</p><p>Of the 112 sanctioned posts of drug inspectors, only eight are filled. Over the past three years, the state Drugs Control Department has filed fewer than 25 cases against those selling spurious or adulterated drugs. In 2023-24, just 10 cases were registered; in 2024-25, the number fell to seven; and in 2025-26, it has stagnated at seven so far. This information, disclosed in a written reply during the recent Assembly session, exposes a disturbing mismatch between the magnitude of the problem and the state’s response.</p>.<p>Recruitment has been frozen for nearly four years after the selection list published by the Karnataka Public Service Commission was challenged in the courts, eventually reaching the Supreme Court. While officers claim licences of offenders have been suspended, they also concede that core enforcement functions – quality checks, sampling, and prosecution – have suffered. This vacuum has consequences beyond counterfeit medicines. Self-styled gurus and vaidyas continue to peddle unproven cures for serious ailments, cleverly marketing them as food supplements under Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) licences. The recent case of a Bengaluru techie losing over Rs 48 lakh to a quack is a stark reminder of how regulatory gaps are being exploited to defraud and endanger citizens.</p>.<p>The state has amended the Drugs and Cosmetics Act, 1940, making certain offences cognisable and non-bailable to curb racketeering in the sale of adulterated and duplicate drugs. These are welcome steps. But rules without enforcement serve little purpose. The challenge is compounded by Karnataka’s limited jurisdiction over pharmaceutical manufacturing units located outside the state. </p><p>Health Minister Dinesh Gundu Rao has repeatedly appealed to the Union Health Ministry to set up a centralised tracking system and stricter penalties for errant manufacturers. There is still no unified national mechanism to enable real-time, physical recalls from private pharmacies across state boundaries. The government must urgently move the apex court for early disposal of the case, highlighting how this paralysis is undermining patient safety and enabling spurious drugs to circulate unchecked. Public health cannot be held hostage to procedural delays.</p>
