India, Aug. 29 -- In a significant regulatory development for India's pharmaceutical distribution ecosystem, the Maharashtra Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has cancelled the drug sale licence of a Pune-based Carrying and Forwarding (C&F) unit of Cipla Pharma & Life Sciences Limited following the identification of multiple compliance irregularities.

The action, which came into effect on Thursday, follows regulatory scrutiny of the unit's drug storage and distribution practices, including issues related to stock management, storage infrastructure, handling of expired medicines and compliance with an earlier recall direction.

The development brings renewed attention to the increasingly rigorous compliance expectations surrounding pharm...