India’s Central Drugs Standards Control Organisation (CDSCO) has flagged 53 widely used medications, declaring them as “Not of Standard Quality (NSQ)” after extensive quality testing. These include essential drugs such as calcium and vitamin D3 supplements, anti-diabetic pills, high blood pressure medications, and the commonly used paracetamol.
Among the affected drugs are:
- Paracetamol 500 mg tablets, manufactured by Karnataka Antibiotics & Pharmaceuticals Ltd
- Pan-D (antiacid) by Alkem Laboratories
- Shelcal (Vitamin C and D3 tablets), distributed by Torrent Pharmaceuticals
- Glimepiride (anti-diabetic drug)
- Telmisartan (for high blood pressure)
Firms Implicated
Major pharmaceutical companies, including Hetero Drugs, Alkem Laboratories, Hindustan Antibiotics Limited (HAL), and Sun Pharma, have been mentioned in the report. However, some companies have denied manufacturing the flagged batches, raising concerns that certain drugs may be counterfeit.
The quality concerns follow CDSCO’s monthly random testing procedure, which helps identify substandard or spurious products circulating in the market. Notably, Metronidazole, a popular antibiotic made by HAL, also made the NSQ list.
Earlier in August, CDSCO had banned 156 fixed-dose drug combinations due to potential health risks.
This development highlights ongoing concerns about drug quality and the need for stricter regulation in India’s pharmaceutical sector. Further investigations are underway to confirm the source of the flagged drugs.
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