Datanomics: Surge in substandard drugs raises safety concerns in India

Child deaths in Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan after consuming a toxic cough syrup have once again highlighted the growing concern around substandard medicines in India, which fail the government’s Non-Standard Quality Drugs (NSQD) tests. In 2025, around 1,184 medicines were found to be substandard, with tablets accounting for 51 per cent, injections 18 per cent, and liquid formulations 11 per cent. The issue is not limited to domestic markets. India faced global scrutiny in 2023 when its cough syrups were linked to the deaths of dozens of children in Gambia. 

   

Chart 1:

   

Medicines that failed NSDQ tests in India fell from 404 in 2019 to 322 in 2020, but later surged to 573 in 2022 and 1,184 in 2025.

   

Chart 2:

   

Out of seven states where substandard drugs have been seized, four have reported yearly rise, with West Bengal, Karnataka, and Maharashtra recording the highest shares in 2025.

   

Chart 3:

   

During the checks, regulators found that norms related to active ingredients were mostly violated.