New Delhi – In a startling revelation, the Central Drugs Standard Control Organization (CDSCO) has uncovered a severe quality crisis in pharmaceutical manufacturing across Himachal Pradesh. A recent investigation exposed that 14 medicines produced by 12 pharmaceutical industries in the state have failed to meet the stringent quality standards set by regulatory authorities.
The substandard medicines, which account for nearly one-third of the nationally flagged cases, encompass a range of crucial healthcare categories. Medications for diabetes, bacterial infections, meningitis, increased appetite, bacterial eye infections, acidity, allergies and menstrual complications have all been identified as falling below the acceptable quality benchmarks.
The affected pharmaceutical companies are spread across key regions in Himachal Pradesh, including Baddi, Paonta Sahib, Nalagarh, and Barotiwala. This geographical concentration underscores the widespread impact of the quality crisis within the state.
The drug alert for January, issued by CDSCO, not only flagged the Himachal-based pharmaceuticals but also indicated substandard samples from pharmaceutical industries in Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal, Uttarakhand, Haryana, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh and Hyderabad.
Out of the 46 medicines declared substandard nationwide in January, 14 were traced back to Himachal-based pharmaceutical companies. CDSCO’s extensive testing covered 932 medicines, medical devices, and cosmetics from various states. The results indicated that 46 medicines did not meet the required standards, and an additional 886 medicines were of poor quality.
The list of substandard drugs includes three injections—clindamycin, amikacin sulphate and diclofenac sodium injection—targeting various infections, bacterial infections and mild to moderate pain, respectively. Other compromised medications involve Cyproheptadine HCl and Tricholine Citrate Syrup, Moxi Loxacin, Prednisolone Acetate Eye Drops, Mefenamic Acid Tablets, Pantoprazole Tablets, Metformin and others.
In response to these alarming findings, CDSCO has issued show-cause notices to the implicated pharmaceutical companies, demanding the recall of the identified batches. Simultaneously, strict actions are being considered against industries with a history of repeated sample failures, emphasizing the critical need for adherence to quality standards in pharmaceutical manufacturing to safeguard public health.
