Tramadol crackdown: violations found at 55 medical shops across Andhra Pradesh

Inspections by the Andhra Pradesh State Drug Control Administration have found violations at 55 of the 100 medical shops checked across the State, following the arrest of five persons in Eluru district on allegations of selling Tramadol, a prescription pain reliever that can have intoxicating effects, without a doctor's prescription.

The checks were ordered by Health Minister Satya Kumar Yadav and carried out under the supervision of Drug Control Administration Director-General Arun Babu. They began after a large number of empty and broken injection vials and used syringes were found in an oil-palm plantation at Vegavaram village in Jangareddygudem.

The discarded injections were identified as Tramadol injections sold under the brand names Tramodex and Tramec. Officials then traced the distribution details of Tramadol manufacturers in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana.

According to a release from the Health, Medical and Family Welfare Department, 53 of the shops were found to have committed minor violations. At two shops, in Krishna and NTR districts, large quantities of medicines had been purchased and sold without the relevant bills. Officials seized the purchase documents and submitted a report on the findings to the Health Minister.

In one case, the Sri Lakshmi Srinivasa Medical Agency was found to have purchased 20,000 Tramadol injections through two bills this year. When the agency failed to produce sale bills, officials conducted raids at various locations and seized 7,550 injections.

In another case, the D. Roopa Peddinti Medical Agency was found to have purchased 5,200 Tramec injections over the past two years. The agency produced bills showing that 3,930 injections had been sold to a medical shop in Telangana. However, officials in Telangana found the transaction to be fraudulent.

The investigation revealed that fake bills had been prepared and that the medicines had actually been supplied to other medical shops without bills. Five persons were arrested in connection with the case.

Mr. Arun Babu said the licences of those involved in illegal transactions would be cancelled. Strict legal action would also be taken against the illegal transportation and unauthorised storage of Tramadol, and against its sale without proper records.

Tramadol is an opioid-class pain reliever available in India only on the prescription of a registered medical practitioner. Because it can cause dependence and has intoxicating effects when misused, its sale and movement are expected to be backed by proper purchase and sale records, which allow authorities to trace where a consignment has gone. The plantation find drew attention precisely because it suggested that injections had reached users outside the regulated supply chain.

The department has not said how many of the 55 shops face licence action or penalties, or whether further arrests are expected. The inspections covered 100 of the many medical shops in the State, and officials have indicated that the tracing of distribution records in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana is continuing.