A man accused of manufacturing counterfeit Mounjaro weight-loss injections from a flat in Gurgaon was not merely copying the drug, police have revealed. He was simultaneously promoting his own unapproved brand, ‘Toneup’, while disguising it as a Japanese product to appear credible and imported.
Parallel Operations Uncovered
The investigation has disclosed that Avi Sharma allegedly ran two parallel operations from a flat in Sector 62. One operation involved producing counterfeit vials resembling Mounjaro, while the other focused on selling tirzepatide-based injections under the Toneup label through online listings.
Drug control authorities have now recalled 22 Toneup-labelled injections after tracing sales to customers in Delhi, Hyderabad, and other cities. Officials stated that no pharmaceutical company named Toneup exists in Japan and alleged that the branding was designed to mislead buyers.
“There is no brand in Japan called Toneup. He was labelling it to look like a Japanese brand. This brand has no approval from any authority, and these injections were never tested. Anyone who has them should not use them at all,” said Amandeep Chauhan, district drug control officer.
Sales and Recalls
According to officials, Sharma had prepared several Toneup vials in the flat and sold them online through IndiaMART for prices ranging from Rs 11,000 to Rs 18,000. Chauhan noted that two customers had already used the injections, but no adverse reactions were reported so far. “We have recalled 22 Toneup injections. Two people had used it, but they are alright,” he added.
Raid and Discovery
The racket came to light on April 18 when drug control authorities and police intercepted a vehicle near Super Mart-1 and seized 262 suspected fake injections worth around Rs 70 lakh. The probe then led officials to flat 605 of a residential society in Sector 62, where a crude manufacturing and packaging unit had been set up.
“His lab was just one room with a refrigerator and a deep freezer. He used Google, ChatGPT and YouTube to learn how to make injections,” Chauhan said.
Methods and Materials
Officials said Sharma sourced research-grade tirzepatide, cartridges, and injection pens online, while raw material was procured from China through Alibaba. He allegedly used 3D printing to make cartons, labels, and instruction leaflets resembling imported products. During inspection, officials found differences in colour, typography, text alignment, and pen illustrations. “These discrepancies clearly showed that the product was not genuine,” Chauhan said.
Arrests and Legal Proceedings
Sharma and his associate, Mujammil Khan, were arrested after the raid and are in judicial custody until May 22. All seized samples, including the recalled Toneup injections, have been sent for laboratory testing and analysis.
