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In an ongoing effort to eliminate fake and adulterated medicines from the Union Territory, the Pondicherry Drugs Control Department is planning to convene the second sitting of its interdepartmental Special Task Force (STF) this month.
The upcoming meeting aims to assemble regulatory authorities, law enforcement agencies, and key administrative officers to deliberate on a comprehensive action plan to purge the regional medical market. While the exact schedule for the second conference is being finalized, the panel is expected to establish concrete mechanisms for real-time intelligence sharing, multi-agency coordination, and heightened market surveillance.
The backdrop to this regulatory initiative follows a series of enforcement actions and multi-state investigations where illicit manufacturing units were uncovered within the territory. Investigations previously revealed that counterfeit formulations manufactured illegally in Pondicherry were being moved across state borders, posing severe risks to public safety, brand protection, and compliance under the Drugs and Cosmetics Act. In response to growing concerns over illicit pharmaceutical production, the administration resolved to institute an overarching framework to identify unregistered manufacturing operations and prevent non-compliant drug batches from entering circulation.
To address these enforcement challenges, the Government of Pondicherry constituted the Special Task Force in December to institutionalize interdepartmental coordination. Formed through an official executive order, the high-level STF integrates key regulatory and enforcement bodies, comprising officials from the Drugs Control Administration, Police Department, Revenue and Commercial Taxes Department, and Customs and Central Excise authorities. The primary mandate of this inter-agency body is to enable intelligence sharing on the movement of unapproved active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs), track suspicious consignment transfers, and execute joint search-and-seizure drives targeting unpermitted production sites and storage godowns.
Speaking to Pharmabiz, sources said a key focus of the upcoming STF deliberations will be the oversight and verification of raw bulk drugs entering the territory’s manufacturing sector. According to pharmaceutical industry sources, Pondicherry has only one active API manufacturing facility, meaning the majority of raw bulk materials required by local formulation plants are imported from other states. This reliance on inter-state bulk drug transit presents a potential vulnerability where unverified or substandard raw materials could enter the production stream, underscoring the need for mandatory raw material testing and analytical verification.
During the planned second meeting, the task force is expected to discuss protocols for sampling and testing imported bulk drug consignments. Discussions will focus on enforcing strict raw material auditing, requiring local formulation manufacturers to verify vendor credentials, Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP) compliance, and valid Certificates of Analysis (CoAs) for all incoming API shipments. Additionally, members will review measures to utilize state and central drug testing laboratories for batch testing to detect non-standard quality (NSQ) inputs before processing.
Alongside API controls, the enforcement strategy includes intensifying routine physical inspections across wholesale, retail, and manufacturing sectors. Drug inspectors are expected to step up unannounced facility audits to ensure strict adherence to revised Schedule M standards, while simultaneously increasing market sampling at distribution centres and retail pharmacies. Retailers and distributors will also be required to maintain auditable supply records, complete with valid purchase invoices and batch tracking details, to prevent unverified stock from reaching retail shelves.
Through these coordinated administrative and regulatory measures, the Pondicherry administration seeks to reinforce supply chain integrity and ensure that all pharmaceuticals manufactured or distributed in the region meet safety and quality standards. Underscoring the extreme severity of the regulatory crisis, the state government had earlier taken strict disciplinary action by suspending former Drug Controller Dr. E. Ananthakrishnan following the detection of widespread spurious drug manufacturing networks within the Union Territory. By utilizing the Special Task Force as an active platform for interdepartmental coordination, the government aims to establish a preventative regulatory approach that protects public health and secures the regional healthcare market.
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