52 drug samples found‘not of standard quality’

The Central Drugs Laboratories (CDL) has identified 52 drug samples manufactured by various firms as “not of standard quality” (NSQ) in its monthly drug alert for September, health ministry officials said. Additionally, State Drugs Testing Laboratories reported 60 drug samples as NSQ.
As part of routine regulatory surveillance, the list of NSQ and spurious drugs is displayed monthly on the CDSCO portal. NSQ classification is based on the failure of a drug sample in one or more quality parameters and applies only to the tested batch, not other products in the market.
In September, one sample from Chhattisgarh was identified as spurious, produced by an unauthorised manufacturer using a brand name owned by another company. The matter is under investigation, and action will be taken as per the Drugs and Cosmetics Act. Authorities conduct these checks regularly with state regulators to ensure NSQ and spurious drugs are identified and removed from the market.