Illegal consignment of obesity drug Mounjaro seized, 2 men arrested in Haryana

CHandigarh: In a late-night performance, the Haryana solid food and Drugs organization (FDA), in coordination with the police force, busted an alleged racquet involving “spurious” Mounjaro KwikPen injections, and arrested two persons after intercepting a vehicle in Gurugram.According to the European Medicines Agency, Mounjaro, a medicine manufactured by an American multinational pharmaceutical company, is administered to control type 2 diabetes in adults. It is also used to help people lose weight or keep it under control.FDA officials said they acted following a tip-off about the illegal sale and stocking of Mounjaro injections in multiple strengths (2.5 mg, 5 mg, 7.5 mg, 10 mg, 12.5 mg and 15 mg).As per an FDA spot memo, a team led by Drugs Control Officer (DCO), Gurugram-1, Amandeep Chauhan, and police personnel from Gurugram’s Sector 29 police station, laid a trap near the HUDA City Centre Metro Station. Around 7:25 pm, a car suspected to be carrying the consignment was intercepted, the FDA said. The occupants were questioned in the presence of the team after independent witnesses declined to join the proceedings.The driver, Shahbaz Alam Ansari, told officials he was an Ola cabbie hired in Delhi for ₹1,000 to drop a passenger in Gurugram. The passenger, identified as Mujammil Khan, a medical representative based in Gurugram, was found carrying the injections.DCO Amandeep Chauhan said that during questioning, Majammil Khan said that the stock belonged to one Avi Sharma, a resident of Gurugram. Sharma was contacted and reached the spot around 12:10 am, April 19. However, he failed to produce any valid licence for stocking, sale or distribution of the drugs. He allegedly admitted that he was solely responsible for the consignment and disclosed that the products had been “manufactured” by him at his residence in Sector 62, Gurugram.Both Khan and Sharma were arrested.Value in marketThe FDA team seized and sampled the entire stock as per procedure. The total value of the recovered injections, based on their maximum retail price, was estimated to be about ₹56.15 lakh, the DCO said.The seized stock included multiple batches of Mounjaro KwikPen across all six strengths. Officials also noted that the drugs were not stored under prescribed temperature conditions of 2°C to 8°C, raising further concerns over their safety and authenticity.What labels showedPreliminary verification was conducted by comparing the seized products with original label details shared by the manufacturer, Eli Lilly and Company (India) Pvt Ltd. Officials found multiple discrepancies, including differences in font size, punctuation, formatting of manufacturing details and toll-free numbers; but further inquiry is on to determine if the drugs seized were only being traded and stored illegally or are fake entirely.The inconsistencies indicated that the recovered stock is spurious and not manufactured by the original company, an official said.Chauhan said the based on the findings, both Khan and Avi Sharma were arrested at the spot for violations under Sections 18(c) and 17B of the Drugs and Cosmetics Act, 1940. The offences are punishable under Section 27 of the Act, which deals with the manufacture and sale of spurious drugs.Officials said further investigation is underway to trace the supply chain, identify possible buyers and determine the extent of distribution of the suspected counterfeit injections.