Pune FDA Cancels 102 Chemist Licences in Crackdown

Pune's Food and Drug Administration cancelled licences of 102 chemists and suspended 286 others across the Pune division between April 2025 and March 2026, in one of the more expansive enforcement actions under the Drugs and Cosmetics Act, 1940. The sweep covered Pune, Satara, Sangli, Kolhapur, and Solapur districts, targeting both wholesale and retail pharmaceutical outlets. Eight drug manufacturing units also had licences cancelled, with additional suspensions hitting allopathic and ayurvedic manufacturers alike. Inspectors documented violations including dispensing prescription medicines without valid prescriptions, absent registered pharmacists, inadequate record-keeping, unauthorised sale of habit-forming drugs, and adulteration, notably ayurvedic products spiked with undisclosed allopathic ingredients. The last category carries particular public health risk given consumers cannot identify undeclared active compounds. FDA officials drew a deliberate penalty gradient: cancellation for violations posing serious public health risk, suspension where corrective compliance remained feasible, and rectification notices for lesser infractions. Due process, allowing parties to respond before finalisation, was applied throughout. Authorities signalled that intensified inspection frequency, combining routine and surprise visits, will persist. For pharmaceutical supply chain operators in the division, the cadence and scale of this drive set a clear compliance baseline going forward.