New Delhi [India]: The Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation (CDSCO) released a list on Friday of drugs that were deemed Not of Standard Quality (NSQ) and spurious for the month of November 2024. According to an official release by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Central Drugs Laboratories identified 51 drug samples as NSQ, while State Drugs Testing Laboratories identified 84 drug samples as NSQ.
The identification of NSQ drug samples is based on failure to meet one or more quality parameters specified for the product. The failure is specific to the tested batch, and does not necessarily indicate issues with other products available in the market. The report mentioned that there has been an increase in the number of NSQ reports from state laboratories, reflecting greater participation by states in reporting NSQ and spurious drugs to the central database.
This increase in reporting is expected to help improve the availability of quality medicines both within India and internationally. The CDSCO emphasized that identifying and removing NSQ and spurious drugs is an ongoing effort, in close collaboration with state regulators, to ensure drug safety.
In a related development, last month, the CDSCO’s East Zone team, in collaboration with the Drugs Control Directorate of West Bengal, conducted a raid at a wholesale premises in Kolkata and seized drugs worth Rs 6.60 crore. The raid targeted M/s Care and Cure For You, a wholesaler suspected of distributing spurious drugs.
Among the seized drugs were anti-cancer, anti-diabetic, and other types of drugs, which were purportedly manufactured in countries like Ireland, Turkey, the USA, and Bangladesh. These drugs were found to be without the necessary documentation to prove their legitimate importation into India. As a result, they were classified as spurious. The raid also uncovered empty packing materials, raising further doubts about the authenticity of the seized products.