Mumbai: In a shocking incident, expired medicines worth Rs 1.65 crore were discovered at Pandit Bhimsen Joshi Government Hospital in Bhayander West. The stock had reportedly been donated by a social organisation, raising serious concerns about negligence and oversight.
Routine inventory check averted crisis
Hospital authorities identified the issue during a routine inventory check and found that the medicines had already expired. The matter was promptly reported to the state government. Due to the administration’s vigilance, the medicines were not distributed to patients, thereby averting a potentially dangerous situation.
Preliminary reports indicate that the stock was linked to a donation or supply from a social organization, prompting calls for an investigation into the supplier and the NGO involved.
Government hospitals taken for granted
While the hospital’s timely action prevented risk, sources claim that government-run hospitals are often taken for granted, with medicines nearing expiry sometimes offloaded through official channels.
A medicine supplier explained that government hospitals, which provide medicines free of cost, handle high patient volumes, leading to rapid stock depletion. In such cases, medicines with only two to three months of shelf life are typically used without issue.
Doctor alleges 80-90% discount scam
However, a doctor from a civic-run hospital in Mumbai, speaking on condition of anonymity, alleged that suppliers and pharmaceutical companies often drive this practice.
“Sometimes, suppliers or pharma companies directly approach officials to push specific medicines despite low demand. They offer discounts of up to 80–90%, but these medicines are procured at full MRP, allowing middlemen and officials to pocket substantial margins,” the doctor claimed.
CDSCO strictly regulates drug expiry
In India, drug expiry is strictly regulated by authorities such as the Central Drugs Standard Control Organization (CDSCO) under the Drugs and Cosmetics Act, 1940. Expiry dates are determined through rigorous scientific stability testing, ensuring that medicines remain safe and effective until the specified period. Any alteration or misrepresentation of expiry dates can result in severe penalties, including legal action or license cancellation.
Most importantly, expiry dates are critical to patient safety and treatment efficacy. Expired medicines may lose potency or degrade into harmful compounds, potentially resulting in ineffective or dangerous treatment.
Pharma firms push near-expiry stock
Abhay Pandey, National President of the All Food and Drug Licence Holder Foundation (AFDLHF), acknowledged that pharmaceutical companies often push medicines nearing expiry.
“After expiry, the medicine’s value becomes zero. To recover costs, companies clear old stock at heavily discounted prices,” Pandey said, adding that such medicines are typically supplied to locations where they can be quickly sold or distributed.
In addition, they also target retailers near major hospitals, where demand is high and medicines are quickly sold out
Health activist Chetan Kothari says, “The government must undertake a study, analysing the date of purchase and the lot of the medicine supplied with the expiry date. It is noteworthy that although the medicine can be used till the last date, it’s potency keeps falling. The government should also come up with guidelines that if an item or medicine is purchased then it should not be older than a stipulated time period.”
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