In December 2025, a total of 167 drug samples were flagged as not of standard quality by central and state laboratories. This identification is part of routine regulatory surveillance to ensure drug safety.
India
-Krishna Kripa
In
December
2025,
the
Central
Drugs
Laboratories
identified
74
drug
samples
as
not
meeting
quality
standards,
according
to
a
health
ministry
statement.
Additionally,
state
drug
testing
labs
found
93
samples
to
be
of
substandard
quality.
These
findings
are
part
of
routine
regulatory
checks,
with
results
published
monthly
on
the
CDSCO
portal.
image
In
December
2025,
a
total
of
167
drug
samples
were
flagged
as
not
of
standard
quality
by
central
and
state
laboratories.
This
identification
is
part
of
routine
regulatory
surveillance
to
ensure
drug
safety.
The
identification
process
for
drugs
not
meeting
quality
standards
involves
testing
specific
batches
against
set
parameters.
If
a
batch
fails,
it
is
marked
as
NSQ.
However,
this
does
not
imply
that
all
products
in
the
market
are
affected,
only
those
specific
batches
tested
by
government
labs.
Spurious
Drugs
and
Ongoing
Investigations
In
December
2025,
four
drug
samples
from
North
Zone
Ghaziabad
and
one
each
from
FDA
Ahmedabad,
Bihar,
and
Maharashtra
were
identified
as
spurious.
These
were
produced
by
unauthorised
manufacturers
using
brand
names
owned
by
other
companies.
The
matter
is
currently
under
investigation,
with
legal
actions
to
follow.
The
collaboration
between
central
and
state
regulators
aims
to
identify
and
remove
substandard
and
spurious
drugs
from
the
market
regularly.
This
ongoing
effort
ensures
public
safety
by
maintaining
the
quality
of
available
medications.
The
health
ministry’s
statement
emphasised
that
identifying
NSQ
and
spurious
drugs
is
a
continuous
process.
It
is
crucial
for
safeguarding
consumers
by
ensuring
that
only
quality-assured
drugs
are
available
in
the
market.
With
inputs
from
PTI
