The Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation (CDSCO) has flagged 103 popular commonly used medicines for failing quality tests in the latest monthly drug alert.
In its monthly list of February 2025, popular medicines like Azithromycin Oral Suspension I.P., Polywin Vitamin B Complex Injection, Sitagliptin Phoshpate Tablets I.P, Albendazole Tablets IP, Norfloxacin Tablets I.P, Amoxycillin & Clavulanate Potassium for Oral Suspension I.P., Telmisartan Tablets IP 40mg Aceclofenac, Paracetamol & Serratiopeptidase Tablets among others.
These medicines are prescribed to treat conditions like chest infections such as pneumonia, metabolic disorder, high blood sugar etc.
“As per routine regulatory surveillance activity the list of Not of Standard Quality (NSQ) and Spurious drugs are being displayed on CDSCO portal on monthly basis. For the month of Feb -2025, Central Drugs Laboratories have identified 47 Drug Samples to be Not of Standard Quality (NSQ) and State Drugs Testing Laboratories have identified 56 Drugs Samples as Not of Standard Quality (NSQ). Identification of drug samples as NSQ is done based on failure of the drug sample in one or the other specified quality parameters,” Health Ministry said in a statement.
The failure is specific to the drug products of the batch tested by the Govt. Laboratory and it does not warrant any concerns on the other drug products available in the market, the ministry added.
Further, in the Feb-2024, one drug sample from the State of West Bengal is identified as spurious drugs, which is made by unauthorized manufacturer using brand name owned by other company, the matter is under investigation and action, the ministry informed.
The apex drug regulator has flagged a batch of popular hypertension medicine Telma H as spurious. “The actual manufacturer (as per label claim) has informed that the impugned batch of the product has not been manufactured by them and that it is a spurious drug,” the CDSCO alert said.
Telma H Tablet contains two medicines, both of which help to control high blood pressure. It belongs to the class of anti-hypertensives primarily taken for the treatment of hypertension (high blood pressure).
Spurious drugs are fake or counterfeit medicines that falsely claim to be genuine, often containing incorrect, contaminated, or no active ingredients, making them ineffective and potentially harmful to patients.
“This action of identifying NSQ, misbranded and Spurious medicines is taken on regular basis in collaboration with state regulators to ensure that these drugs are identified and removed from of market,” it added.
The monthly alert list includes batches of painkillers having combinations of paracetamol with diclofenac and aceclofenac, and fixed drug combinations (FDCs) prescribed for conditions such as fever, hypertension, heart disease, stomach ulcers and chronic diseases.