Over 50% Indian families faced unknown side effects from medicines: Survey

Unknown side effects from medicines came under the scanner when the Drug Controller General of India (DCGI) advised patients and healthcare professionals on Wednesday to stop using Digene gel, a popular antacid, due to safety concerns. Drugmaker Abbott has initiated a voluntary recall of the impugned product. The World Health Organisation (WHO) in June red flagged seven Made-in-India cough syrups after in its probe into complaints from several countries of these products being contaminated and having caused several health complications. 

The probe by the UN organisation had found high levels of diethylene and ethylene glycol in the cough syrups that led to several deaths across the globe. In the same month, the Government of India banned 14 fixed-dose combination (FDC) medicines, which contain two or more active ingredients in fixed dose ratio, as they were found to lack therapeutic justification by an expert panel. 

To quantify the concerns of families with medicines, especially around side effects, LocalCircles conducted a national survey. The survey received over 22,000 responses from citizens located in 341 districts of India.

The survey said on Wednesday that over 50% respondents or their family members have experienced side effects of medicines prescribed by doctors in the last five years.  

Out of 11,082 respondents to the query about side effects experienced due to medicines prescribed by doctors, 34% indicated that their family members have had such an experience once or twice in the last five years. Among the remaining, 6% shared that such incidents had happened more than 10 times in the last five years; 3% indicated 6-9 times; 9% stated 3-5 times. In all, only 30% shared that they had not undergone such an experience while 18% were unsure.

In July, the Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation (CDSCO) flagged 51 batches of medicine for being “not of standard quality” including widely used medicines like Rosuvastatin manufactured by Sun Pharma, drug combination Tamsulosin Hydrochloride and Dustasteride tablets manufactured by Cipla. 

85% respondents surveyed believe “it should be mandatory for medicine manufacturers to disclose the main side effects on the packaging / via a leaflet along with it”.