Thiruvananthapuram: Amid growing concerns over the quality of drugs in Kerala, inspections have revealed that the medicines procured by the government, including those sourced from its own drug manufacturing company, contain substandard batches.

According to the Drug Control Department, certain medicines purchased by the Kerala Medical Services Corporation Ltd(KMSCL) from the state-owned drug manufacturer, Kerala State Drugs and Pharmaceuticals (KSDP), were found to be of poor quality.

About 21.56 lakh glimepiride tablets distributed in 2024 were seized from the open market due to inferior quality. In 2022, amoxicillin antibiotics and 1 lakh gastro-resistant aspirin tablets were also seized due to quality deficiencies.

Low-quality medicines were also detected in batches procured by the KMSCL from private drug manufacturers. This included 19.9 lakh betahistine tablets, supplied in 2024 for vertigo and dizziness, and 1.39 lakh pantoprazole tablets supplied in 2023.

Though a relatively small state, Kerala tops the charts in drug consumption, with medicines worth around ₹13,000 crore sold every year. Many drug manufacturers offer gifts to push sales, and some even offer schemes like 200 free tablets for the purchase of 100.

Of the samples collected from medical stores, laboratory examination revealed that 83 samples contained less than 70 per cent of the required active components. The Drug Control Department, which has already registered cases against such pharmaceutical companies in 2024 and 2025, has now urged various states to cancel the licences of these firms.

“Kerala conducts the highest number of quality tests on medicines in the country. If a drug is found to be substandard, it is immediately withdrawn from the market. We also ensure it does not re-enter circulation by informing the Drug Controller of the concerned state. However, it is not practical to test every single batch,” said Dr K Sujith Kumar, State Drugs Controller.