The Central Drugs Standard Control Organization (CDSCO) has reportedly identified 61 medicines, cosmetics and ayurvedic products that are categorised as "not of standard quality." This list includes diabetes medications, cosmetic and ayurvedic items such as aloe vera, glycerin, Vitamin-E soap, jojoba oil and haridrakhandam, which is used for treating skin allergies.
This comes after several cases were reported wherein Indian medicines failed quality checks abroad. This eventually raised concerns about the reputation of the Indian pharmaceutical industry, as per a report by Mint.
In India, the quality of drugs and cosmetic products is regulated by the Drugs and Cosmetics Act of 1940. Last year as well, it was discovered that out of 1,306 samples tested by the government’s drug department, 51 failed the quality test.
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Authorities regularly perform these checks by sampling medicines from the market. Medicines that did not pass the government’s quality tests included antacids, fever treatments, antibiotics and various other drugs commonly found at local pharmacies.
They release a monthly report detailing the results. This report was published by the Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation (CDSCO), which operates under the Directorate General of Health Services within the Ministry of Health & Family Welfare.
In a 100-day agenda meeting, Union Health Minister J.P. Nadda instructed officials to prioritize the safety and quality of medicines across the country, according to the report.
Earlier this year, the Drugs Controller General of India, Rajeev Raghuvanshi, directed the State Licensing Authority to closely monitor drugs in the market by regularly analysing samples. The goal was to maintain a centralized monthly database of "spurious" and not-of-standard-quality (NSQ) medicines.
