53 Commonly Prescribed Drugs Fail Quality Tests: CDSCO Issues Alert
53 top-selling drugs, including Paracetamol, Pan D, and Shelcal, have failed quality tests conducted by the CDSCO, raising concerns over their safety and efficacy.
More than 50 commonly prescribed drugs, from Paracetamol to calcium and vitamin D3 supplements, anti-diabetes pills, and high blood pressure medicines, have failed the quality parameters laid down by India’s drug regulator—the Central Drugs Standards Control Organisation (CDSCO). CDSCO Issues Alert regarding these medications, highlighting concerns over their quality and safety.
53 drugs declared “not of standard quality”
The CDSCO, in its latest monthly drug alert, classified 53 medications as “Not of Standard Quality (NSQ)”. The drug alerts are issued based on random samples collected each month by state drug officers throughout the country. The list of drugs that failed quality checks includes some of the top-selling and commonly used medications.
Among the flagged products are, Vitamin C and D3 tablets Shelcal, soft gels of vitamin B complex and vitamin C, the antacid Pan-D, Paracetamol tablets IP 500 mg, the anti-diabetic Glimepiride, and the high blood pressure medicine Telmisartan are included.
How the drug companies react to the CDSCO Issues Alert?
Several pharmaceutical companies have lodged protests against such findings, with claims that the said batches were actually counterfeit and did not belong to them. Again, this added to the concern of the already alarming situation raising concerns about the authenticity of drugs available in the market.
This is not the first time the CDSCO has made landmark decisions on issues concerning the safety of drugs. Only last month, the regulatory body banned more than 156 fixed-dose drug combinations in the Indian market. The combinations banned from the Indian market included popular fever medicines and painkillers as well as allergy tablets. Their prohibition was reportedly on grounds that “likely involve risk to humans.”
AThe spate of bans and quality test failures underscores the importance of stringent regulatory oversight in ensuring public health and safety. As such, the CDSCO’s action highlights an urgent need for vigilance and accountability in the pharmaceutical industry because these drugs are essential for the treatment of widely prevailing health diseases.
Therefore, the new discoveries by CDSCO are a warning to consumers as well as practising health professionals to to be aware of the medications they use and prescribe
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