Further actions will be taken based on the findings and responses provided by the firms.
The Gujarat Food and Drug Administration has stepped up its crackdown on unauthorized possession, sale and misuse of codeine-containing drugs by canceling the drug sales license of one firm and issuing show cause notices to seven others following a special campaign across the state.
The moves follow Health Minister Praful Pancheriya’s directions at a meeting to tighten controls on medicines containing codeine, which must be sold through legal channels with valid medical prescriptions. During inspections conducted in Ahmedabad, Gandhinagar and Mehsana districts earlier this month, regulators found significant stockpiles of codeine drugs as well as discrepancies in procurement, sales and other records maintained by drug dealers, the state government said in an official statement on Tuesday.
The largest seizure occurred at Balaji Pharma in rural Ahmedabad, where officials recovered 37,762 bottles of Rexton-T syrup containing codeine, with a suggested retail price of ₹220 per bottle. Stocks worth around Rs 83.08 lakh were prohibited from further sale or use and a sample was taken for laboratory analysis. The authorities also issued a show-cause notice to Balaji Pharma after a review of its records revealed that the firm was primarily involved in drugs containing codeine and deficiencies were found during the review.
At Health Point Pharma in Kalol, Gandhinagar, the regulator canceled the firm’s license to sell drugs after it found its response to an earlier show-cause notice unsatisfactory. Show cause notices have also been issued to Formalin Lifesciences in Changodar, Rain Remedies in Santhaj, Capital Pharma in Visnagar, HRDM Global Solutions in Ahmedabad and Jai Ambe Distributors in Ahmedabad. The process of issuing notice to Krishna Pharma, Katwara, Ahmedabad is currently underway.
At Jai Ambe Distributors, officials recovered 57 bottles of R Tuss TD syrup containing codeine, worth ₹9,006. The inventory has been restricted from further sale or use while the firm’s records of purchases and sales are reviewed. Officials continue to check invoices, registers of purchases and sales, shares and other documents of the companies under investigation. Further actions will be taken based on the findings and responses provided by the firms. Pancheriya said the state government has a zero-tolerance approach towards illegal possession, unauthorized sale and misuse of codeine-containing medicines. Firms found to be violating applicable laws and regulations will be subject to strict action, he said.
Published September 8, 2026