India’s apex drugs regulatory body has found the samples of around 50 drugs, including that of widely-used paracetamol, pantoprazole and some antibiotics for treating bacterial infections, as not of standard quality.
Of these sub-standard drugs, 22 are manufactured in Himachal Pradesh, according to the alert issued by the Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation (CDSCO) for the month of May.
Besides Himachal Pradesh, the samples were collected from Jaipur, Hyderabad, Waghodia and Vadodara in Gujarat, Andhra Pradesh and Indore, among other places. A total of 52 samples have failed the quality test conducted by the CDSCO, according to the drug alert issued on June 20.
Sources said state drug regulators have reportedly sent notices to the pharmaceutical companies concerned and the failed samples would be recalled from the market. The list of the sub-standard drugs contains Clonazepam tablets that are used to treat seizures and anxiety disorders, pain reliever Diclofenac, anti-hypertension drug Telmisartan, Ambroxol, which is used in the treatment of respiratory diseases, Fluconazole, an antifungal, and some multivitamins and calcium tablets.
The samples of around 120 drugs manufactured in Himachal Pradesh had failed the test parameters last year.