In a finding that has again brought into focus the urgent need for enhancing regulatory oversight and public awareness to keep a check on the production and sale of spurious medicines, the Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation (CDSCO) has found 196 drugs to be of inferior quality.
The latest CDSCO report for April based on a monthly surveillance activity includes 60 drug samples from Central drug laboratories and 136 from state drug testing labs.
“Identification of drug samples as Not of Standard Quality (NSQ) is done based on failure of the drug sample in specified quality parameters. The failure is specific to the drug products of the batch tested by the government laboratory and it does not warrant any concerns on the other drug products available in the market,” the Union Health Ministry clarified in a press note.
The report has put many MSME pharma companies under the scanner. Some of the drugs found to be of inferior quality include carboxymethyl cellulose sodium eye drops manufactured by Martin & Brown Biosciences, pantoprazole gastro resistant tablets manufactured by Mancare Laboratories Pvt Ltd, Sumo Gold tablets (paracetamol+ nimesulide) marketed by Alkem Laboratories, AMPIVEE-500 Injection marketed by Vyali International and albendazole tablet 400 mg manufactured by Samkem.
In another shocking finding, the sample of a drug, Decadurabolin 50 injection, was identified as a spurious drug manufactured by an unauthorised manufacturer in Bihar using a brand name owned by another company. The matter is being investigated.
CDSCO plays a crucial role in ensuring the safety and efficacy of medicines through regular monitoring of drugs on a monthly basis so as to detect and remove spurious drugs from the market.
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