Zydus gets U.S. FDA tentative nod for Rifaximin tablets 550 mg
Generic drugmaker Zydus Lifesciences has received tentative approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for Rifaximin Tablets, 550 mg. The product is indicated for treatment of irritable bowel syndrome with diarrhoea (IBS-D) in adults. Rifaximin tablets had annual sales of $2672.9 million in the United States, the company said citing IQVIA MAT March 2025 numbers. The product will be produced at the Group's manufacturing site at SEZ II, Ahmedabad, it said on Monday.
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Economic Times
3 hours ago
- Economic Times
Concerns rise over hygiene standards in dark stores amid quick commerce boom
Several packaged food companies have raised complaints about shoddy and unhygienic conditions in some dark stores from which quick commerce companies despatch purchases to consumers. Nearly a dozen have written to the platforms in the last two-three months, raising urgent concerns about lapses in storage and handling at the stores, citing specific violations. Dark stores are large warehouses that stock products for quick delivery. This comes as government authorities, including the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI), are stepping up surprise inspections and audits at the thousands of dark stores mushrooming all over the country. Many of the companies did not want to be identified while confirming that they'd made complaints. 'We supply the freshest stock to our quick commerce partners complying to more than 70% shelf life and temperature guidance on categories like cheese,' said Varun Berry, managing director of biscuits, bakery and dairy maker Britannia Industries. 'Beyond this point we expect them to ensure best hygiene practices and FMFO (First Manufacturing First Out) in the last-mile delivery. With rapid expansion, we will need to work very closely with them to ensure no slip-ups happen. Companies making daily essentials, staples and premium grocery products have been reporting swift growth on quick commerce platforms compared with neighbourhood stores or modern trade. The pace of growth ranged from 50% to 100% in FY25. A senior executive at a large frozen foods company said odour transfer was one of the issues that had to be addressed.'We noticed that agarbatti sticks were being stored close to our frozen snack packs at the dark stores of a large platform. This runs the risk of migration of odour, so we immediately asked them to rectify the storage,' said a senior executive at a large frozen foods company. 'Ultimately, it's our brand that's the direct consumer interface and we can't let that suffer. Various large companies such as HUL, ITC, Britannia, Tata Consumer Products, PepsiCo, Amul, Parle Products, Coca-Cola, Mother Dairy and KRBL have also been introducing exclusive premium packs of teas, ice-creams, cookies, snacks, frozen foods and staples for sale only on quick commerce channels.'We've asked all the platforms to urgently step up routine audits on their own,' said Vikram Agarwal, managing director of Cornitos snacks maker Greendot Health Foods, which gets nearly 20% of its annual sales from quick commerce platforms now. 'The matter is even more concerning in case of franchised dark stores.'Earlier this week, the Maharashtra Food and Drug Administration (FDA) suspended the food business licence of a Zepto dark store in Dharavi after discovering safety and hygiene violations such as fungal contamination and unsanitary storage conditions during an inspection.'Hygiene protocols are nonnegotiable, and consumer trust remains sacrosanct, regardless of how or where the product is purchased,' said Kunal Sharma, head of marketing and business head, modern trade and ecommerce at the listed KRBL Ltd, which makes India Gate basmati rice. 'All platforms and partners must maintain rigorous hygiene and safety standards, and regulatory guidance from the FDA and FSSAI play a vital role in reinforcing these benchmarks.' FSSAI has stepped up audits at dark stores across cities, including the metros, tier-2 and smaller markets. 'As quick commerce revolutionises last-mile delivery, it brings new challenges where cold chain integrity and hygienic handling are absolutely non-negotiable,' said Srideep Kesavan, chief executive at Heritage Foods, which makes dairy products such as milk, flavoured milk and butter. 'Dark stores, which anchor this model, must reflect the standards consumers expect; strengthening hygiene protocols in quick commerce is essential to safeguard consumer trust.' Swiggy Instamart, Zepto and Blinkit did not respond to queries.
Time of India
3 hours ago
- Time of India
Concerns rise over hygiene standards in dark stores amid quick commerce boom
Several packaged food companies have raised complaints about shoddy and unhygienic conditions in some dark stores from which quick commerce companies despatch purchases to consumers. Nearly a dozen have written to the platforms in the last two-three months, raising urgent concerns about lapses in storage and handling at the stores, citing specific violations. Dark stores are large warehouses that stock products for quick delivery. This comes as government authorities, including the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI), are stepping up surprise inspections and audits at the thousands of dark stores mushrooming all over the country. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Knee Pain After 50? Try This Before Reaching for Pills Read More Undo Many of the companies did not want to be identified while confirming that they'd made complaints. 'We supply the freshest stock to our quick commerce partners complying to more than 70% shelf life and temperature guidance on categories like cheese,' said Varun Berry, managing director of biscuits, bakery and dairy maker Britannia Industries . 'Beyond this point we expect them to ensure best hygiene practices and FMFO (First Manufacturing First Out) in the last-mile delivery. With rapid expansion, we will need to work very closely with them to ensure no slip-ups happen. Live Events Companies making daily essentials, staples and premium grocery products have been reporting swift growth on quick commerce platforms compared with neighbourhood stores or modern trade. The pace of growth ranged from 50% to 100% in FY25. A senior executive at a large frozen foods company said odour transfer was one of the issues that had to be addressed. 'We noticed that agarbatti sticks were being stored close to our frozen snack packs at the dark stores of a large platform. This runs the risk of migration of odour, so we immediately asked them to rectify the storage,' said a senior executive at a large frozen foods company. 'Ultimately, it's our brand that's the direct consumer interface and we can't let that suffer. Various large companies such as HUL , ITC , Britannia, Tata Consumer Products , PepsiCo, Amul, Parle Products, Coca-Cola, Mother Dairy and KRBL have also been introducing exclusive premium packs of teas, ice-creams, cookies, snacks, frozen foods and staples for sale only on quick commerce channels. 'We've asked all the platforms to urgently step up routine audits on their own,' said Vikram Agarwal, managing director of Cornitos snacks maker Greendot Health Foods, which gets nearly 20% of its annual sales from quick commerce platforms now. 'The matter is even more concerning in case of franchised dark stores.' Earlier this week, the Maharashtra Food and Drug Administration (FDA) suspended the food business licence of a Zepto dark store in Dharavi after discovering safety and hygiene violations such as fungal contamination and unsanitary storage conditions during an inspection. 'Hygiene protocols are nonnegotiable, and consumer trust remains sacrosanct, regardless of how or where the product is purchased,' said Kunal Sharma, head of marketing and business head, modern trade and ecommerce at the listed KRBL Ltd, which makes India Gate basmati rice. 'All platforms and partners must maintain rigorous hygiene and safety standards, and regulatory guidance from the FDA and FSSAI play a vital role in reinforcing these benchmarks.' FSSAI has stepped up audits at dark stores across cities, including the metros, tier-2 and smaller markets. 'As quick commerce revolutionises last-mile delivery, it brings new challenges where cold chain integrity and hygienic handling are absolutely non-negotiable,' said Srideep Kesavan, chief executive at Heritage Foods , which makes dairy products such as milk, flavoured milk and butter. 'Dark stores, which anchor this model, must reflect the standards consumers expect; strengthening hygiene protocols in quick commerce is essential to safeguard consumer trust.' Swiggy Instamart, Zepto and Blinkit did not respond to queries.
Hindustan Times
2 days ago
- Hindustan Times
US faces vape shortage as China tariffs, seizures hit Geek Bar
LONDON, - Popular vape brands like Geek Bar may get more expensive in the U.S. - if you can find them at all. Shipments of vapes from China to the U.S. ground to a near halt in May from a year ago, official data shows, hit by U.S. President Donald Trump's tariffs and a crackdown on unauthorised e-cigarettes in the world's biggest market for smoking alternatives. That includes Geek Bar, a brand of flavoured vapes that is not authorised to sell in the U.S. but which had been widely available due to porous import controls. One retailer, who asked not to be named because their business sells unauthorised vapes, told Reuters that one of the store's vape suppliers normally receives 100 boxes of Geek Bar vapes per week, but is now getting just ten. Another supplier imposed unprecedented purchase limits. "There were a lot of supply chain issues' during COVID-19, the person said. "But I've never seen this." The U.S. supplier limited purchases to five boxes at a time due to "tariff-related price increases and limited market availability", an undated notice to customers seen by Reuters showed. Trump's decision to impose steep tariffs on China, now at 30% after peaking at 145% in April, as well as blockbuster seizures of unauthorised vapes, have constrained the supply of Chinese-owned vape brands and Geek Bar in particular, according to five industry sources and notices from U.S. Geek Bar wholesalers reviewed by Reuters. Between May 1 and May 28 the U.S. Food and Drug Administration recorded just 71 shipments of products labelled as e-cigarettes or vapes from China, compared with nearly 1,200 over the same period last year. Such imports had fallen between 40% and 60% in February, March and April, after Trump came into office, but collapsed in May, the data show. "Due to increased tariffs, rising production costs, and reduced supply chain capacity, the manufacturer has informed us that they will be reducing supply volume in the near-term," one U.S. regional Geek Bar wholesaler wrote to customers on April 22 in an email shared with Reuters. 'WE'RE TALKING ABOUT NICOTINE HERE' In the meantime, vape distributors expect prices to go in one direction. "With tariffs, it'll definitely go up," said one U.S. vape distributor who asked not to be named. But that might not impact sales much. Unauthorised vape manufacturers enjoy hefty margins, and so can eat some of the cost of tariffs, Luis Pinto, a spokesperson for British American Tobacco's U.S. subsidiary, said. Meanwhile, consumers hooked on vapes tend to keep buying, even as the price goes up. "If the price goes up, the price goes up. We're talking about nicotine here," the vape distributor said, adding unlike other products, addicted users need their fix. Vapes like Geek Bar - priced around $20 currently - would still be good value even with a $5 increase, the person said. Geek Bar manufacturer, Guangdong Qisitech, did not respond to a request for comment sent to its general email address. Pinto agreed the tariffs will increase prices but probably not to the point "where it is a barrier to usage". Many of the vapes landing on U.S. shelves are manufactured in Shenzhen, which meets the majority of the world's demand for vapes. Some factories there make devices for large tobacco companies with the legal licence to sell their products in the United States, such as Japan Tobacco International. Others fuel a booming market for unregulated devices that U.S. authorities say are illegal to import or sell. To mitigate tariffs, illicit vape producers can mislabel or undervalue their shipments or spoof their origin entirely to make it look like they came from a lower-tariff country like Indonesia, Vietnam or Mexico, Pinto said. Vapes from China are often smuggled into the U.S. disguised as other items entirely, such as shoes or toys, to evade officials hunting for unauthorised vapes at the border, according to public statements from the FDA and Customs and Border Protection. Geek Bar was by far the most popular unauthorised vape brand in the U.S. last year, accounting for around a quarter of sales tracked by market research company Circana in 2024 despite lacking a licence to sell from the FDA, which has struggled to contain illegal imports from China. The brand, as well as thousands of other labels often made in China and lacking FDA permission, are stocked by wholesalers and retailers around the country, often sold alongside authorised labels from big tobacco companies like BAT and Altria . PANIC BUYING U.S. tariffs have driven panic buying of vapes by U.S. buyers, higher shipping costs and increased risks at the border, the distributor, a former distributor and a person who used to work for a major Chinese vape company said. Substantial vape seizures were also a big driver of Geek Bar supply issues, two of the sources said. The FDA announced a large seizure in Chicago in February, and new FDA commissioner Marty Makary has pledged to crack down on unauthorised vapes. Government notices on seized goods show further vape seizures in March and April. The growth of Geek Bar and other unregulated vape brands have eaten into the market share of cigarette companies like Altria and BAT, which estimates unauthorised e-cigarettes accounted for some 70% of all U.S. vape sales last year. Altria CEO Billy Gifford told investors in April that he hoped tariffs would lead to "much more enforcement" of vapes at the border. Trump's trade war with China has also seen China-U.S. air freight and shipping capacity collapse limiting shipping capacity for cargo including vapes. The FDA's data only captures shipments properly declared as vapes. As a result, it has recorded declining vape shipments since 2020 even as industry sales have grown. An FDA spokesperson said the agency expects the number of shipments it captures to increase as it ramps up efforts to ensure compliance and prevent illegal imports. Unauthorised vape makers have also been moving production to Indonesia - a shift that prolonged tariffs on China would likely accelerate, the former employee said. Vape makers are "highly adaptable", the person said. "Whatever happens in the U.S., the industry will survive."
