Millions of banned capsules seized by FDA in pharma raid

Two days after the government imposed a ban on the manufacture and export of two highly addictive opioids—Tapentadol and Carisoprodol—the Maharashtra Food and Drugs Administration (FDA), along with the Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation (CDSCO), conducted inspections at two pharmaceutical companies in Boisar on Tuesday.

- Shreya Jachak and Pankaj Raut

MUMBAI:

The crackdown follows a BBC exposé that linked the drugs to a growing opioid crisis in West Africa. Officials inspected National Pharmaceuticals and Maxwell Life Sciences, both of which produce Tapentadol and Carisoprodol.

The move is part of a broader effort to curb the illegal export of these drugs after evidence emerged of their misuse in countries such as Nigeria, Ghana, and Ivory Coast.