Now metformin, paracetamol among 49 meds to fail quality test: Should you continue using old strips?

There are four spurious drugs too. These have not been manufactured by the brands mentioned on the packaging

Written by Anonna Dutt

Updated: October 26, 2024 05:06 PM IST

3 min read

The country’s apex drug regulator releases a list of drugs that are found to be not of standard quality (NSQ) every month. (Representational Image)

The apex drug regulator has found 49 medicines as sub-standard and four to be spurious in its monthly survey of drugs available in the market. The list contained commonly used medicines such as metformin that is used for the treatment of diabetes, pantoprazole that is used for the treatment of acidity, and paracetamol for the treatment of fever.

This was a part of a routine exercise by the drug regulator, where medicines are tested at random to check their quality. “There are no contaminated drugs, these are not of standard quality. These drugs have failed in some quality parameters. And, then there are four spurious drugs. These have not been manufactured by the brands that have been mentioned on the packaging,” said drug-controller general of India, Dr Rajeev Singh Raghuvanshi

What is the alert raised by the regulator?

The country’s apex drug regulator, the Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation (CDSCO) releases a list of drugs that are found to be not of standard quality (NSQ) every month. The Central, as well as the state drug regulators, routinely collect samples of various medicines from the market at random and test them. The monthly list puts out the names of the medicines that fail the tests and on what parameters.

Take for example, the antibiotic metronidazole that has been named in the recently released list for September. The drug has failed the dissolution test, meaning once consumed, the medicine would not dissolve properly and work in the way it is supposed to.

Also Read | Random checks finds paracetamol, other drugs ‘not of standard quality’: What should you do?

Raghuvanshi said that around 3,000 samples are tested every month and around 40 to 50 fail.

What are NSQ or spurious medicines?

When it comes to quality checks by the drug regulators, the drugs that fail broadly fall in three categories:

Spurious drugs: These are products that imitate others, mostly popular brands of medicines, to trick people into buying them. They may or may not contain the active ingredient. Take for example, Glenmark’s telmisartan (used for the treatment of hypertension) and Sunpharma’s pantoprazole were found to not have been manufactured by the original company at all.

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NSQ drugs: These fail on parameters such as faulty description, the medicine not dissolving properly, or less quantity of active ingredients. While these medicines may not directly cause harm to a person consuming it, it can harm by way of not actually doing what it is meant to do.

Adulterated drugs: These are drugs in which contaminants or adulterants are present and can cause direct harm to people consuming it. The drug regulator usually recalls drugs that are found to be adulterated.

Should you not take these medicines?

These monthly alerts are not meant to cause alarm. If you can, avoid only the medicines from the particular batch that the CDSCO has mentioned in its list. Notices are also issued for the companies to take necessary action.

Anonna Dutt

Anonna Dutt is a Principal Correspondent who writes primarily on health at the Indian Express. She reports on myriad topics ranging from the growing burden of non-communicable diseases such as diabetes and hypertension to the problems with pervasive infectious conditions. She reported on the government’s management of the Covid-19 pandemic and closely followed the vaccination programme. Her stories have resulted in the city government investing in high-end tests for the poor and acknowledging errors in their official reports. Dutt also takes a keen interest in the country’s space programme and has written on key missions like Chandrayaan 2 and 3, Aditya L1, and Gaganyaan. She was among the first batch of eleven media fellows with RBM Partnership to End Malaria. She was also selected to participate in the short-term programme on early childhood reporting at Columbia University’s Dart Centre. Dutt has a Bachelor’s Degree from the Symbiosis Institute of Media and Communication, Pune and a PG Diploma from the Asian College of Journalism, Chennai. She started her reporting career with the Hindustan Times. When not at work, she tries to appease the Duolingo owl with her French skills and sometimes takes to the dance floor. ... Read More

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metformin Paracetamol