Bengaluru, Feb 21: The Karnataka government has sought assistance from the Union Health Minister in countering the menace of sale of drugs which have failed tests and further appealed to ensure steps to withdraw contaminated drugs from market all across India.

Minister for Health Dinesh Gundu Rao wrote a letter on Friday to the Union Health Minister J.P. Nadda in this regard.

“I am writing to bring to your attention the repeated instances of sale within Karnataka of contaminated injectable drugs manufactured in other states.

“Between January 1 and February 16, nine injectable drugs manufactured in other states failed sterility testing in our state government laboratories. The details of drugs, along with batch numbers, are provided in the annexure to this letter,” Minister Rao stated.

This list does not include numerous injectables manufactured by Paschim Banga Pharmaceuticals based in West Bengal, whose contaminated injectables caused the deaths of five young mothers in Ballari district of Karnataka, Rao said.

“While I am instructing my department to take adequate steps to ensure these drugs are no longer sold within Karnataka, it is highly likely that other contaminated drugs manufactured by these companies are being sold in other states in India. Injectables, as you are aware, are used in acute care and therefore are high risk to patients.

“Given the ‘life or death’ consequences for patients being administered these contaminated drugs, I request you to use your good offices to ensure that all products sold by these companies are withdrawn from the market across India and that these companies are not allowed to sell any more drugs until they are inspected by the Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation (CDSCO) for compliance with Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP),” Rao urged.

Minister Rao further requested, “In addition, I also request you to create a system for all states and central laboratories to share alerts with each other regarding drugs which have failed quality testing, especially those failures which could potentially cause serious adverse events for patients.”

He further suggested, “In addition to sharing alerts with each other there should also be a legal requirement to share sales records from the manufacturer to enable seizure of the contaminated drugs from the supply chain before they are dispensed to patients.

“Lastly, we need a system to alert doctors, pharmacists and patients about the drugs that are failing testing in our respective testing laboratories. My department would be glad to assist in this regard.”

Rao has ended the letter stating that he is anticipating a positive response in this regard.

Mumbai: The number of suspected and confirmed cases of Guillain-Barré Syndrome (GBS) in Maharashtra has risen to 211 as of Tuesday, following the detection of a new case, health officials reported. Of these, 183 cases have been confirmed as GBS, as per reports.

Massive Outbreak In Pune & Surrounding Region

Among the total cases, 42 are from the Pune Municipal Corporation area, 94 from recently added villages under PMC, 32 from Pimpri Chinchwad Municipal Corporation, 33 are from rural parts of Pune and 10 from other districts.

So far, 139 patients have been discharged, while 39 remain in intensive care units, and 18 are on ventilators, according to a statement from the state health department.

Nine Deaths Reported In State Related To GBS

The state has recorded nine deaths related to GBS, with four confirmed fatalities directly linked to the disorder and five additional deaths suspected to be due to it.

What Is Guillain-Barré Syndrome?

Guillain-Barré Syndrome is a rare condition in which the body’s immune system mistakenly attacks the peripheral nervous system. According to the World Health Organization, the disorder is often triggered by certain bacterial or viral infections.

It primarily affects nerves responsible for muscle movement and sensory functions such as touch, temperature, and pain. Patients with GBS commonly experience muscle weakness, loss of sensation in the arms and legs, and, in severe cases, difficulty breathing or swallowing.

While the exact cause remains unknown, GBS is often linked to prior infections, vaccinations, or major surgeries, which can lead to an overactive immune response that mistakenly targets the body’s nerves.

Pune: The Maharashtra Health Department reported that 205 suspected cases of Guillain-Barre Syndrome (GBS) have been detected in the state so far, with 177 patients diagnosed with GBS.

Further, as per officials, 8 deaths have occurred, and out of these, 4 deaths were confirmed as GBS.

Maharashtra Health Department said, “A total of 205 suspected patients have been detected till date. Of these, 177 patients were diagnosed with GBS. A total of 8 deaths have occurred. Of these, 4 deaths were confirmed as GBS and 4 suspected deaths were reported. 41 patients from Pune MC, 94 from newly added villages in PMC area, 29 from Pimpri Chinchwad MC, 32 from Pune Rural and 08 are from other districts. Out of these patients 113 have been discharged till now, 50 are in ICU and 20 are on ventilator.”

Maharashtra Health Department further said that 2 suspected new GBS cases were reported on Thursday, and the remaining 5 cases are from previous days.

The health department said that common symptoms of GBS include sudden weakness in hands or legs/ paralysis, trouble while walking, or weakness with sudden onset and diarrhoea (for sustained periods).

The state health authorities are closely monitoring the situation and have intensified surveillance efforts in affected areas.

Earlier, on February 6, the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) sealed 30 private water supply plants in the Nanded village, Dhayari, and adjoining areas on Sinhgad Road in Pune City. These areas have been identified as the epicenter of the outbreak. The action was taken against these plants in the last two days, said a PMC official.

The PMC took action against these plants after collecting water samples that were found unfit for drinking. Some plants lacked proper permission to operate, while others were contaminated with Escherichia coli bacteria. Additionally, certain plants were not using disinfectants and chlorine to control contamination.

On February 3, the Union Health Minister held a high-level meeting with Maharashtra’s key health and medical ministers and reviewed the public health measures being undertaken by the state health authorities, including testing and treatment of patients affected by GBS.

Guillain-Barre Syndrome is an autoimmune condition where the body’s immune system mistakenly attacks the peripheral nervous system, leading to symptoms such as muscle weakness and, in severe cases, paralysis.