The Maharashtra Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has recently uncovered a scheme involving the unlawful buying and selling of medical abortion kits in the Nagpur and Solapur districts. On Friday, the agency announced that it has filed cases against eight individuals, including some executives from an online portal linked to the operation.
The FDA, in a statement here, said its Nagpur and Solapur offices acted on August 12 against illegal sale of Clear Kit and Prega End, medicines used for abortion.
The state government regulatory authority has seized MTP (Medical Termination of Pregnancy) kits besides other medicines and registered cases against eight people, including directors of online portal IndiaMART. Police registered a case against the doctor (Sachin Marghade) and three others at the Yashodhara Nagar police station under various provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act (NDPS Act). Separate action was being taken under the Drugs and Cosmetics Act for unauthorised storage and sale of medicines in both cases (Nagpur and Solapur). FDA Commissioner Tukaram Mundhe warned that buying MTP kits or other abortion medicines without a doctor’s prescription or using them without supervision by a trained and authorised medical professional could lead to serious health complications.
Officials seized unauthorised medicines, including Alprazolam and Sildenafil, worth Rs 45,649 from the Nagpur clinic. The FDA said its action also included seizure of a combined stock of MTP kits, Alprazolam and Sildenafil worth Rs 54,181 in the two cases.
