A court in Haryana’s Sonipat has sent two Maiden pharma executives to two-and-half years in jail for allegedly exporting substandard drugs to Vietnam nearly a decade ago.
Maiden pharma is the same company whose cough syrups were linked to deaths of children in The Gambia by World Health Organization in October 2022.
“This court has come to the conclusion that the complainant/prosecution has duly proved the charge…beyond a shadow of reasonable doubt,” judge Sanjeev Arya said in an order issued on February 21.
The jail term has been ordered for Maiden’s founder Naresh Kumar Goel and technical director MK Sharma for exporting “not of standard quality” medicine —ranitidine hydrochloride— to Vietnam. The said medicine was exported in 2013 and India’s drugs regulator began investigations following Vietnam blacklisting several companies, including Maiden, for quality issues.
“In view of foregoing discussion emanating from record, all accused are held guilty under section 27(d) of Drugs and Cosmetic Act, 1940…,” the order said. The court has given them until March 23 to appeal before a higher court in the matter.