Madurai: A banned pharmaceutical manufacturer, who made and supplied spurious antibiotics and substandard syrups through a food licence across Madurai and Theni for months, has been sentenced to seven years’ rigorous imprisonment by a court.
Additional district and sessions judge G Sree Devi on Oct 16 sentenced Tecnomed proprietor S Ragunathan, Nac Laboratories owner Prithiviraj and Vaishnavi Pharma Agency proprietor A Eswaran to seven years each for manufacturing or distributing unlawful and substandard drugs. The court found evidence supporting continued production and supply through his Othakadai firm, Medicon Pharma, licensed only to manufacture food products.
Because they failed to prove lawful sourcing and reasonable diligence, the judge rejected distributors’ claims of ignorance. Purchase bills and bank records traced supplies from Tecnomed to Nac Laboratories and Shree Raj Agencies, and onward to the Theni wholesalers. The judgment identified no specific patient injuries.