CDSCO Flags 103 Drugs as Substandard, Warns of Spurious Telma H Batch

103 drugs and formulations have been labelled as Not of Standard Quality (NSQ) by the country’s apex drug regulator, while a batch of popular hypertension medicine Telma H has been flagged as spurious. The brand for which spurious samples were found has been named by the Central Drug Standards , Control Organisation (CDSCO) in its monthly quality review for February; however, the drugmakers have not been named. “The actual manufacturer (as per label claim) has informed that the impugned batch of the product has not been manufactured by them and that it is a spurious drug,” the CDSCO alert said. 

 Fake or counterfeit medicines are claimed by spurious drugs to be genuine, often containing incorrect, contaminated, or no active ingredients, which makes them ineffective and potentially harmful to patients. 103  new drug samples and 47 were identified by central drug laborstories while 56 were checked at state laboratories and Health care sectors. 

Batches of painkillers having combinations of paracetamol with diclofenac and aceclofenac, and fixed drug combinations (FDCs) prescribed for conditions such as fever, hypertension, heart disease, stomach ulcers, and chronic diseases are included in the list. “The purpose of displaying the spurious drugs list is to make stakeholders aware of the spurious drug batches identified in the market,” the NSQ alert stated.