Counterfeit drug factory busted

A mobile court backed by Rab busted a fake antibiotic manufacturing factory and jailed its owner and production manager for two years each in the capital's Mirpur yesterday.

It also fined owner Sanjay Baroi Tk 2 lakh and production manager Kawsar Tk 1 lakh directing the authorities concerned to lodge a case against them.

The factory, Shed Pharmaceuticals (Av) Ltd, was manufacturing fake Zimax 500mg tablets of Square Pharmaceuticals over the last two years.

The court seized around one lakh pieces of Zimax tablets and one mould. It sealed off the factory and also fined four other employees -- Saiful Islam, Asim Halder, Mofazzal Khandakar and Dasharat Modhu -- Tk 1 lakh each.

The factory has a licence for producing Ayurvedic medicines but it was manufacturing Allopathic drugs of reputed companies, said Executive Magistrate AHM Anwar Pasha who led the drive. The factory so far had supplied around three lakh pieces of Zimax tablets to the market, he added.