CDSCO Flags 53 Medicines For Failing Quality Checks, Including Diabetes And BP Drugs

The medicines you take might be part of a batch that failed drug quality checks. Among the drugs flagged are common fever medicines, calcium and vitamin D3 supplements, diabetes medications, and high blood pressure pills. Some of the notable products include Pan-D antacid, Shelcal vitamin D3 tablets, Glimepiride for diabetes, and Telmisartan for hypertension, alongside Metronidazole for stomach infections. These medications are manufactured by well-known companies such as Hetero Drugs, Alkem Laboratories, Hindustan Antibiotics Limited, and Sun Pharma. The Central Drugs Standards Control Organisation (CDSCO) recently released a drug alert list, identifying 53 medications as "Not of Standard Quality" (NSQ) following random monthly sampling by state drug officers. This has sparked concern over the quality control measures within pharmaceutical companies. Pharmaceutical experts, like Dr. Viranchi Shah, National President of the Drug Association, argue that only a small percentage of samples—2.4%—failed the tests and emphasize that the results are not conclusive. Further tests could be conducted to adjudicate these findings. However, doctors warn that substandard medicines may be ineffective and potentially harmful. The CDSCO reassures the public that the flagged drugs are not life-threatening, but urges caution to ensure public health safety. Torrent Pharmaceuticals Ltd has refuted media reports of Shelcal 500 allegedly failing the Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation, East Zone, Kolkata's quality test. The sample seized by the Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation for the evaluation was not manufactured by the company, Torrent Pharmaceuticals said in an exchange filing.