All Rotten: Deadly Fake Drug Scandal

 Kehelya Shakes Sri Lanka’s Health System

German lab confirms immunoglobulin vials had no medicine—just saline and dangerous bacteria

A Scandal with Life-or-Death Consequences

Sri Lanka's public health system has been rocked by a pharmaceutical scandal involving fake immunoglobulin drugs. Court hearings this week revealed that the drug—used to treat children—had no therapeutic value and was dangerously contaminated.

A German lab found the vials contained only saline and harmful bacteria, not the antibodies needed to help patients. The drug was administered to hundreds of children in government hospitals.

Former Health Minister Faces Criminal Charges

Former Health Minister Keheliya Rambukwella is at the centre of the case. He and nine others, including a pharmaceutical supplier and senior health officials, are expected to face criminal charges including fraud, negligence, and attempted murder.

Call records show Rambukwella was in frequent contact with both the drug supplier and the ministry official in charge of the procurement.

How a Dangerous Drug Entered the System

The fake drug was supplied by Ayushulem Biotech Pharma, a little-known Indian company with no proven track record. It was approved outside standard regulatory procedures, under what officials called a “special procurement” process—though no emergency had been declared.

Key documents that should have verified the drug’s quality were either forged or missing from official records.

The German Report: No Me
dicine, Only Risk

The most damning evidence came from a respected German laboratory, which found:

No immunoglobulin in any of the 200 samples tested

Presence of harmful bacteria that could cause severe illness

Saline used as a base, offering no medical benefit

The report concluded the drug posed a serious health threat to vulnerable patients.

Families Say They Were Lied To

Parents of children treated with the fake drug are now demanding justice. Many recall unexplained side effects—vomiting, seizures, fevers—following the injections.

“My child was given that drug in a fever. He started convulsing. They said it was normal,” said Thilini Perera, a mother from Ratnapura. “Now we know it was poison.”

At least 17 families have filed lawsuits, and more are expected.

Signs of a Broken Procurement System

Insiders at the Ministry of Health admit that normal safety protocols were ignored. One regulatory officer who objected to the drug’s release was transferred overnight.

Critics say this points to a culture of political interference and corruption in Sri Lanka’s public sector procurement—especially in the health sector.

Silence at the Top

Despite the severity of the scandal, the government has yet to respond publicly. President Anura Kumara Dissanayake, elected on a promise to end corruption, has made no comment on the case so far.

Opposition MPs, however, have called it “medical murder” and are demanding immediate reforms.

Global Watchdogs Take Notice

International agencies, including the World Health Organization, have requested a full report. Germany’s regulatory authorities have launched a separate investigation into how such a product made it past international controls.

“This is not just about Sri Lanka. It’s about whether global safeguards are failing,” said Dr. Martin Rothschild, a pharmaceutical safety expert based in Munich.

A Health System in Crisis

Doctors warn that this scandal will have a long-term impact on public trust.

“People are now scared to go to the hospital. They don’t know if the medicine is real,” said Dr. Anjali Jayasuriya, a specialist in immunology.

Health authorities have begun reviewing other drug imports made during Rambukwella’s term. If similar problems are found, the fallout could be even more severe.

Was It a One-Time Failure—or Something Deeper?

As the Attorney General prepares to file charges and courts gear up for a high-profile trial, the country faces an uncomfortable question:

Was this a single corrupt deal, or the symptom of a much deeper disease in the way Sri Lanka runs its public institutions?

For now, the legal system will decide on guilt. But for the children injected with what was supposed to save them, the damage has already been done.