Punjab Seizes Medicines Worth Rs 20.64 Crore, Suspends 520 Chemists' Licencesਪੰਜਾਬ ਨੇ 20.64 ਕਰੋੜ ਦੀਆਂ ਦਵਾਈਆਂ ਜ਼ਬਤ ਕੀਤੀਆਂ, 520 ਕੈਮਿਸਟਾਂ ਦੇ ਲਾਇਸੈਂਸ ਮੁਅੱਤਲ

Punjab has suspended the licences of 520 chemists and cancelled 22 others after a long enforcement drive against the misuse of medicines, the state government said on Thursday, October 15, 2026. Officials said medicines valued at Rs 20.64 crore were taken from 214 firms, some licensed and some not, during the drive.

How large was the inspection drive?

The Drugs Wing of the Food and Drugs Administration carried out 16,788 inspections between April 1, 2025 and September 30, 2026. The action was taken under the Drugs and Cosmetics Act, 1940 and the Drugs Rules, 1945, and the government said the checks were done on the directions of Health and Family Welfare Minister Dr Balbir Singh to stop habit-forming medicines reaching people without proper control.

The department also moved the courts. Officials said 54 fresh court cases were filed against defaulters in the period, 35 cases ended in convictions along with fines, and 650 cases are still under trial in district courts across Punjab.

Why does Pregabalin matter in this drive?

A central part of the announcement concerns Pregabalin, a medicine officials say is widely misused for intoxication. The Union government has now placed Pregabalin under Schedule H1 of the Drugs Rules through a notification dated May 13, 2026, and the tighter provision takes effect on November 12, 2026. The state said Pregabalin was earlier not covered under any schedule of the Act or the Rules, and that Punjab had written to the Centre repeatedly asking for regulatory action.

Schedule H1 medicines are subject to stricter sale and record conditions than ordinary prescription medicines. For chemists in Punjab, the change means Pregabalin sales will carry the tighter H1 discipline from November 12, at a time when enforcement teams are already checking stock, licences and sale records across the state.

What else did the government flag?

The state said it has restricted the stocking for sale of eight types of drug formulations in Punjab. It has also taken up two wider issues with the Centre: the absence of rules for the online sale of medicines through e-pharmacies, which it said lets intoxication-linked medicines stay available online, and the wide variation in prices of medicines that contain the same salt but are sold by different companies. The government said no effective central steps had been taken on pricing until the recent intervention and directions of the Supreme Court.

The figures land in the middle of a heated political argument over drugs in Punjab, days after the killing of anti-drug activist Parvinder Singh Jhota in Mansa led to a statewide bandh. Opposition leaders have accused the government of failing to control the trade, while the government has pointed to enforcement drives such as this one as evidence of action on the ground.

How many chemists were acted against?

In all, 520 chemists had their licences suspended and 22 had their licences cancelled for violations found during inspections between April 2025 and September 2026.

What was seized during the drive?

Officials said medicines worth Rs 20.64 crore were seized from 214 licensed and unlicensed firms.

When do the new Pregabalin rules start?

Pregabalin comes under Schedule H1 from November 12, 2026, under a Union government notification dated May 13, 2026.