The UT District Consumer Disputes Redressal Forum has directed a drug manufacturing company to shell out a compensation of Rs 2,000 after a stapler pin was found in an antibiotic tablet. Vijay Kumar,the complainant,had purchased a strip of Xtracef-500 from Global Medical Centre at the Government Medical College and Hospital,Sector 32,for throat infection. The complainant was to take the medicine twice in a day for five days,as prescribed by a doctor at the hospital. It was averred that after taking the medicine for three days,the complainant found a staple pin embedded deep in one tablet. After Vijay Kumar moved the consumer forum,a notice was served on the Global Medical Centre. With no one appearing on its behalf,the case was proceeded against ex parte. In its reply,the drug manufacturers,Cap-Tap Biotech,refuted the allegations. It denied that any pin was embedded in the tablet. The complainant then produced the tablet before the forum. The tablet was sent to the Government Analyst Punjab in Sector 11 for analysis. Its report confirmed that the sample tablet contained a metallic stapler pin compressed on the surface. According to the report,the sample was adulterated as defined in the Drugs and Cosmetics Act,1940. If a sick person has a glance of the medicine,which is found to be adulterated,he would be shocked to know it and it will cause him mental tension and harassment,as he had been spending money on such a medicine,which if consumed by him,would have proved dangerous to his life, ruled the forum.
