53 Medicines Fail Quality Tests in India: Drug Regulator Reports

India's drug regulator, the Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI), has flagged 53 medicines for not meeting quality standards. This ongoing effort underscores DCGI's commitment to pharmaceutical safety. The report includes medications like paracetamol and vitamin supplements, with multiple pharmaceutical companies identified as sources of these substandard drugs.

The recent reports of 53 medicines failing quality tests by India's drug regulator underscore the Drugs Controller General of India's (DCGI) commitment to ensuring pharmaceutical safety. According to senior official sources, the DCGI is actively taking action against manufacturers producing drugs that don't meet the required quality standards.

"Such a list is released every month, and it shows that the DCGI is constantly monitoring the quality of medicines and taking action against companies selling drugs of NSQ (not of standard quality)," senior official sources told ANI. "NSQ is mostly minor in nature and not life-threatening," the sources added.

The Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation (CDSCO) highlighted that over 50 drugs, including paracetamol, Pan D, calcium and vitamin D3 supplements, and anti-diabetes pills, were classified as "Not of Standard Quality." The batches failing the quality tests include products from Karnataka Antibiotics, Alkem Laboratories, Hindustan Antibiotics, Hetero Labs, Nestor Pharmaceuticals, Priya Pharmaceuticals, and Scott-Edil Pharmacia.

The CDSCO's monthly drug alert for August categorized medications like Shelcal, Vitamin B Complex with Vitamin C Softgels, vitamin C and D3 tablets, Ciprofloxacin Tablets, high blood pressure medication Telmisartan, Atropine Sulphate, and antibiotics like Amoxicillin and Potassium Clavulanate tablets as substandard.

(With inputs from agencies.)