Drugs as common as paracetamol and certain antibiotics, readily available at chemist shops, may be fake and not of standard quality, a government report has warned.
In January 2014, at least 32 medicines sold in hospitals and chemist shops across India, including the national Capital -Delhi have failed government tests and have been declared 'not of standard quality' by the Health Ministry's Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation (CDSCO)
The ministry has recently put several medicines that are commonly sold in the market on high alert. Paracetamol tablet IP 500 mg, which is a widely used over-the-counter pain reliever and antipyretic (used to control fever), is one of them
The drug commonly used for headaches and other minor pains, which is manufactured by a Chennai-based company, has failed the government test
Similarly, Needin SR 20, which is used to control blood pressure, and RONFLOX, an antibiotic manufactured by a company in Himachal Pradesh, have been found lacking.
Another commonly-used drug Angizaar 50 tablets, prescribed for diabetes and hypertension, has been put on alert by the ministry
"The drugs that failed different tests ranging from colour, weight to dissolution have been put on high alert.
"The drugs have been withdrawn from the market by the respective CDSO branches in the area where they were manufactured or were being distributed," said a senior health ministry official.
"Joint surprise checks are being conducted with the state drug controllers to check the quality of drugs on monthly basis. Under such checks, samples are drawn from government hospitals, retail and wholesale dealers having different pharmacological categories''
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