50 life saving drugs produced in India found to be of sub-standard quality

Common drugs like Paracetamol 500 mg and some vitamin and calcium tablets – were of sub-standard quality.

NEW DELHI: The drug regulator in India has identified 50 essential medicines, including those for fever and seizures, as being of poor quality across the country. These drugs, crucial for treating various health conditions, range from paracetamol and anti-hypertension medications to cough syrups and vitamins.

In addition to medicines, the quality of commonly used Henna mehndi has also been flagged as substandard and misbranded under cosmetic regulations.

This discovery comes at a time when India’s pharmaceutical industry is under scrutiny following reports linking locally produced cough syrups to child deaths abroad.

The Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation (CDSCO) issued alerts after testing samples from various locations including Gujarat, Himachal Pradesh, Rajasthan, Uttarakhand, Haryana, Madhya Pradesh, Telangana, and Andhra Pradesh. For instance, Paracetamol tablets found to be substandard were manufactured by Askon Healthcare in Madhya Pradesh, India.

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The list of problematic drugs also includes treatments for constipation, hypertension, autoimmune diseases, infections, and neurological disorders. Samples were rigorously tested at both central and state laboratories.

Earlier directives from the Drug Controllers General of India instructed states to intensify monitoring and conduct random checks on drug quality. This initiative aims to maintain a database of unreliable medicines and ensure manufacturers adhere to quality standards.

Efforts are ongoing to safeguard public health by ensuring that medicines meet required quality benchmarks, despite recent concerns over the integrity of certain pharmaceutical products in circulation.

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