New Delhi: India on Thursday said it is lodging with China a strong protest against fake anti-malarial 'Made-in-India' drugs detained by Nigerian authorities, maligning the Indian pharmaceutical industry for consignments which originated from the neighbouring country.
"Taking serious note of the action by scrupulous elements to malign Indian generic pharma industry, Embassy of India, Beijing, has been requested to lodge a strong protest with concerned Chinese authorities and also to impress upon them to take stringent action against such scrupulous elements," a Commerce Ministry statement said in New Delhi.
It said the Nigerian Government Drug Regulatory Authority (NAFDAC) has reported about the detention of a large consignment of fake anti-malarial generic pharmaceuticals labelled 'Made in India' but produced in China.
"After a laboratory analysis by NAFDAC, the drugs have been found to be fake and had it not been intercepted, about 64,2000 adults would have been affected," it said.
According to the Indian High Commissioner in Nigeria, the consignment containing Maloxine and Amalar tablets, used for the treatment of Malaria, were valued at 32.1 million Naira and were produced, packed and shipped from China.
The Department of Commerce has already conveyed "serious concern" to China's Ambassador to India Zhang Yan here "with the request that strict actions be taken against the involved parties".