In May 2026, Delhi Police busted a counterfeit medicine racket worth nearly Rs 10 crore — four people arrested for manufacturing and supplying fake life-saving drugs for cancer and liver disease. Fake medicines, packaging equipment, forged labels — all recovered from an operation supplying hospitals across multiple states.

Weeks earlier in April 2026, a detailed investigation revealed fake Keytruda (Pembrolizumab) vials being sold to cancer patients in Delhi. Empty originator vials purchased for Rs 3,000 to Rs 6,000 — refilled with counterfeit substances — resold for Rs 40,000 to Rs 50,000 through hospital pharmacies. Eight patients identified as having received fake injections. One of them died.

These are not isolated incidents from the margins of India’s pharmaceutical supply chain. In 2026, counterfeit or substandard medicines are estimated to represent 13-25% of Indian pharmacy stock. For a cancer patient receiving an intravenous targeted therapy or immunotherapy — a medicine costing lakhs per vial — the stakes of getting this wrong are not abstract. They are clinical and potentially fatal.

At A.K. Pharma we think about this constantly. Not as a marketing point but as a daily operational responsibility. This article explains exactly what we do to ensure that every imported cancer medicine leaving our warehouse in Shastri Nagar, New Delhi is genuine, properly stored, and traceable to its manufacturer.

Why Imported Cancer Medicines Are the Primary Target for Counterfeiters

The economics are straightforward. A vial of Keytruda (Pembrolizumab) costs Rs 1.5-2 lakh. A course of Enhertu (Trastuzumab Deruxtecan) for metastatic breast cancer runs into several lakhs. A refilled empty vial purchased for Rs 3,000-6,000 and sold for Rs 40,000-50,000 generates a profit margin that makes drug counterfeiting far more lucrative than most crimes — with historically lower law enforcement priority.

The detection problem makes it worse. A perfectly packaged counterfeit biologic — accurate labelling, matching holographic seals, correct batch numbers — is extremely difficult to distinguish from the genuine product by visual inspection alone. Hospital pharmacists are not equipped with spectroscopy at the point of receipt. The only real defence is upstream — sourcing from verified, authorised distributors — not downstream visual inspection after the medicine has already arrived.

This is exactly why we built A.K. Pharma the way we did — and why we have maintained those standards for 25 years.

What Authorised Sourcing Actually Means — and Why It Matters

Every imported cancer medicine in A.K. Pharma’s portfolio comes from manufacturer-authorised channels. Not “trusted intermediaries.” Not “competitive sourcing.” Manufacturer-authorised channels — meaning the supply chain for each product traces directly from the Indian subsidiary or appointed importer of the originator manufacturer to our warehouse.

For the medicines we supply this means:

• AstraZeneca medicines — Tagrisso (Osimertinib), Imfinzi (Durvalumab), Imjudo (Tremelimumab), Lynpraza (Olaparib), Enhertu (Trastuzumab Deruxtecan), Faslodex (Fulvestrant) — sourced from AstraZeneca Pharma India’s authorised distribution network
• Novartis medicines — Pivikto (Alpelisib), Kryxana (Ribociclib), Zoladex (Goserelin) — sourced from Novartis India Ltd’s authorised network
• Pfizer medicines — Betrecep (Tofacitinib), [Vyndaqel], Genotropin — sourced from Pfizer India’s authorised channels
• Sanofi medicines — Dupixent (Dupilumab), Lonopin (Enoxaparin) — sourced from Sanofi India’s authorised network
• Roche/AbbVie — Venclexta (Venetoclax) — sourced from authorised Indian channels

Every supplier relationship is documented. We can trace the provenance of any batch of any medicine in our warehouse back to its source. That documentation travels with every shipment.

Cold Chain — Where Most Failures Actually Happen

For the cancer medicines and biologics that require cold chain — Dupixent, Imfinzi, Enhertu, Nucala (Mepolizumab), Fasenra (Benralizumab), Simponi (Golimumab), Trodelvy (Sacituzumab Govitecan) — the integrity requirement is continuous refrigeration between 2°C and 8°C from manufacturer to patient.

This is not just a regulatory requirement. It is a clinical one. Biologic medicines are proteins. Proteins are vulnerable to temperature, light, and agitation in ways that small molecule tablets are not. A biologic that has experienced a significant temperature excursion during storage or transport may look identical to an intact vial but have partially denatured protein with unpredictable clinical activity. The patient receives the injection and experiences unexpected side effects — or simply does not respond. Nobody connects it to a cold chain failure that happened three days earlier and twenty kilometres away.

At A.K. Pharma our cold chain infrastructure includes:

Validated cold room storage — temperature maintained at 2°C to 8°C continuously with calibrated digital monitoring systems. Temperature is reviewed and logged daily.

Backup power — dedicated backup generator ensures cold room temperature is maintained during power cuts. In Delhi’s climate this is not an optional precaution.

Validated insulated packaging for delivery — cold chain medicines are shipped in validated insulated boxes with gel packs calibrated for the expected transit time and ambient temperature. We do not use generic packaging for biologics.

Temperature logs with every cold chain shipment — every cold chain medicine shipment from A.K. Pharma is accompanied by a temperature log documenting the storage and transport temperature history. If your pharmacy does not receive a temperature log with a cold chain medicine from any distributor — ask for one. If they cannot provide it, that is a serious concern.

What We Send With Every Shipment

When A.K. Pharma supplies an imported cancer medicine to a hospital pharmacy or oncology centre, the shipment includes:

Purchase invoice with our wholesale drug licence number clearly printed — verifiable against our State Drugs Controller licence records.

Certificate of Analysis (CoA) for the specific batch — issued by the manufacturer, confirming that the batch meets manufacturer quality specifications. Available for every product and every batch.

Temperature log for cold chain medicines — covering storage and transport from our warehouse to delivery.

Batch number traceable through manufacturer verification channels — we actively encourage hospital pharmacists to verify batch numbers through the DAVA (Drug Authentication and Verification App) and manufacturer verification lines. If a batch number we supply does not verify as genuine through those channels, we want to know immediately.

CDSCO import documentation — for imported originator medicines, we maintain complete CDSCO import clearance documentation for our product inventory.

What Hospitals Should Do When They Receive Any Imported Cancer Medicine

Regardless of who supplies an imported cancer medicine, hospital pharmacists should have a systematic receipt protocol in place. Here is ours — which we actively share with the oncology centres and hospital pharmacies we supply:

Check the invoice: Does the supplier’s wholesale drug licence number appear on the invoice? Is it current and valid? Cross-check against the State Drugs Controller’s database if needed.

Inspect the packaging systematically: Check outer carton print quality, holographic seals, tamper evidence. Compare batch numbers across outer carton, inner carton, and vial label — mismatches are a red flag. For injectable biologics, check solution appearance, clarity, and colour against the manufacturer’s prescribing information.

Verify on the DAVA app: Scan the barcode or QR code on the medicine against the government’s DAVA (Drug Authentication and Verification App) database. This takes under a minute and provides important authentication evidence.

Request and check the temperature log: For cold chain medicines — confirm the temperature log shows an unbroken 2°C to 8°C range throughout storage and delivery.

Report immediately if something is suspicious: Photograph the medicine, packaging, and invoice. File with CDSCO at cdsco.gov.in and the State Drugs Controller. Under the Drugs and Cosmetics Act, reporting suspected counterfeit medicines is a professional responsibility — not just a right.

The A.K. Pharma Difference — 25 Years of Getting This Right

We are a licensed medicine distributor and pharmaceutical distributor in Delhi operating from E-2/257A, 2nd Floor, Shastri Nagar, New Delhi 110052 — with all required drug licences under the Drugs and Cosmetics Act for wholesale pharmaceutical distribution, including cold chain biologics.

Our portfolio of over 60 imported specialty medicines across 20+ therapeutic areas — from targeted cancer therapies and immunotherapy biologics to rare disease treatments and specialty antifungals — all share the same supply chain standard. Manufacturer-authorised sourcing. Validated cold chain. Complete documentation. Traceable provenance.

We have been doing this since 2000. Not because regulations require it — though they do — but because the hospitals, oncology centres, and pharmacies that order from us are trusting us with medicines that are being given to critically ill cancer patients. That is a responsibility we take seriously every single day.

Browse our complete imported cancer medicine portfolio or contact us directly.

📍 E-2/257A, 2nd Floor, Shastri Nagar, New Delhi 110052 📞 011 4172 6999 📱 WhatsApp: +91 9810034827 🌐 akpharma.in

Frequently Asked Questions

Q. How can I verify that a cancer medicine from A.K. Pharma is genuine? Every shipment from A.K. Pharma comes with a Certificate of Analysis, purchase invoice with our drug licence number, and temperature logs for cold chain medicines. Batch numbers can be verified through the DAVA app or manufacturer verification lines. Our supply chains trace directly to manufacturer-authorised channels for all products.

Q. Does A.K. Pharma supply cold chain biologics safely outside Delhi? Yes — cold chain medicines are shipped in validated insulated packaging with temperature logs covering the full transit period. We supply hospitals and pharmacies across India including Mumbai, Kolkata, Chennai, Bangalore, and Hyderabad.

Q. What should I do if I suspect a medicine I received is counterfeit? Do not administer it. Photograph the medicine, packaging, and invoice. Contact CDSCO at cdsco.gov.in and your State Drugs Controller. File an FIR if the evidence warrants it. Contact the manufacturer’s Indian subsidiary directly to report the suspected counterfeit batch.

Q. Are all of A.K. Pharma’s imported cancer medicines sourced from CDSCO-approved channels? Yes — every imported medicine we supply has valid CDSCO import approval and is sourced from manufacturer-authorised Indian distribution channels.

Q. Why are counterfeit cancer medicines so difficult to detect? Sophisticated counterfeiters replicate packaging, holographic seals, and batch numbers with high accuracy. Visual inspection alone is insufficient — which is why supply chain provenance, certificate of analysis, and DAVA app verification are essential at the point of receipt.

Q. How is A.K. Pharma different from a general pharmaceutical wholesaler? A general pharmaceutical wholesaler deals in high-volume, room-temperature generic medicines from multiple sourcing channels. A.K. Pharma specialises exclusively in imported specialty medicines — with authorised manufacturer supply chains, validated cold chain infrastructure, and complete documentation for every batch. We are a medicine distributor in Delhi built specifically for the specialty and imported medicine segment.