Health ministry flags 47 drugs as 'not of standard quality' in February

Further, the State Drugs Testing Laboratories have identified 56 drug samples as NSQ, officials said

The Central Drugs Laboratories in its monthly drug alert for February found 47 drug samples manufactured by various firms to be "not of standard quality (NSQ)", health ministry officials said on Friday.

Further, the State Drugs Testing Laboratories have identified 56 drug samples as NSQ, they said.

According to routine regulatory surveillance activity, the list of NSQ drugs is displayed on the Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation (CDSCO) portal every month.

Identification of drug samples as NSQ is done based on the failure of the drug sample in one or the other specified quality parameters, the officials said.

The failure is specific to the drug products of the batch tested by the government laboratory and it does not warrant any concerns about the other drug products available in the market, an official said.

 

In February 2024, one drug sample from West Bengal was identified as spurious and made by unauthorised manufacturer using a brand name owned by another company. The matter is under investigation and action.

This action of identifying NSQ, misbranded and spurious medicines, is taken regularly in collaboration with state regulators to ensure that these drugs are identified and removed from the market, he said.