The CBI has registered a corruption case against a senior Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation (CDSCO) official and the managing director of a Chennai-based pharmaceutical company over allegations of seeking and offering bribes for regulatory clearances linked to World Health Organisation (WHO) certification standards. The FIR was registered by the CBI’s anti-corruption branch in Visakhapatnam on August 6. Unknown public servants and private individuals have also been named in the case.

According to the FIR, the CDSCO official was responsible for handling applications related to Certificate of Pharmaceutical Product (CPP) and WHO-Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP) certifications for pharmaceutical companies under his jurisdiction. Three applications submitted by the pharmaceutical company were reportedly pending, including two WHO-CPP applications and one application relating to…