NEW DELHI, Oct 26: The Central Drug Standards Control Organisation (CDSCO) has flagged certain batches of four drugs as spurious following a thorough examination of nearly 3,000 samples. Out of these, 49 drugs have been recalled due to efficacy concerns, representing just 1.5 percent of the total samples tested.
During a media briefing today at New Delhi, Rajeev Singh Raghuvanshi, the Drugs Controller General of India, emphasized that the CDSCO’s vigilant monitoring has significantly lowered the incidence of less effective drugs in the market. Among the identified drugs are metronidazole tablets from Hindustan Antibiotics, domperidone tablets from Rainbow Life Sciences, oxytocin from Pushkar Pharma, metformin from Swiss Biotech Parentarels, calcium 500 mg and vitamin D3 250 IU tablets from Life Max Cancer Laboratories, and PAN 40 from Alkem Labs.
Last month, the CDSCO had already flagged over 50 drugs that did not meet quality standards. In its latest report, it noted that 50 drugs, including paracetamol, are deemed “not of standard quality” (NSQ). This category encompasses various medications, including calcium and vitamin D3 supplements, anti-diabetic drugs, and hypertension medications.
Paracetamol tablets manufactured by Karnataka Antibiotics & Pharmaceuticals Ltd were specifically mentioned for quality concerns. The report also identified a total of 48 drugs classified as NSQ, including a non-sterile gauze roll bandage. NSQ drugs fail to meet the quality standards set by national or international regulatory bodies.
