Achi news desk-
Pharmaceutical companies bought electoral bonds worth around Rs 1,000 crore, with the bulk of these donations going into the BJP’s fold. Seven of these companies were investigated for substandard drugs when they bought these electoral bonds.
These include Hetero Labs and Hetero Healthcare, which bought bonds worth Rs 60 crore between 2022 and 2023.
Gujarat-based Torrent Pharma bought bonds worth Rs 77.5 crore between 2019 and January 2024.
Zydus Healthcare, another Gujarat company, bought bonds worth Rs 29 crore between 2022 and 2023 and Glenmark Rs 9.75 crore in 2022.
Cipla bought bonds worth Rs 25.2 crore in November 2022 and IPCA Laboratories Rs 13.5 crore in 2022-2023.
All of these companies are reportedly facing investigations for manufacturing substandard drugs.
Hetero Labs, for example, received three notifications regarding remdesivir, a drug used to treat Covid-19.
Torrent Pharma has been notified of its anti-platelet drug being found substandard by the Maharashtra Food and Drug Administration.
Zydus Healthcare, a company that otherwise enjoys a good reputation, was found to have a manufacturing defect in the drug remdesivir.
A similar complaint was filed against Cipla for the drug remdesivir it manufactures, as well as for cough syrup.
