CDSCO flags 46 substandard drug samples

New Delhi: The Central Drugs Laboratories found 46 drug samples manufactured by various firms to be "not of standard quality (NSQ)" in its monthly drug alert for May, health ministry officials said on Monday.Further, the State Drugs Testing Laboratories have identified 113 drug samples as NSQ, they said.According to routine regulatory surveillance activity, the list of NSQ and spurious drugs is being displayed on the Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation (CDSCO) portal on a monthly basis.Also Read: Aurobindo Pharma US gets FTC nod for $250 million acquisition of Lannett Company"For the month of May 2026, Central Drugs Laboratories have identified 46 drug samples to be Not of Standard Quality (NSQ) and State Drugs Testing Laboratories have identified 113 drug samples as NSQ," a health ministry statement said.Identification of drug samples as NSQ is done based on failure of the drug sample in one or the other specified quality parameters.

The failure is specific to the drug products of the batch tested by the government laboratory and it does not warrant any concerns on the other drug products available in the market, it said.Further, in May 2026, one drug sample from Assam was identified as a spurious drug, which was manufactured by unauthorised manufacturers using a brand name owned by another company; the matter is under investigation and action will be taken according to the Act and Rules.Also Read: Sun Pharma adds Innovcare to its fold in Rs 271.2 crore all-cash transactionThis action of identifying NSQ and spurious medicines is taken on a regular basis in collaboration with state regulators to ensure that these drugs are identified and removed from the market. ...