Antacid, Pan-D, Paracetamol among 50 medications which failed quality test
New Delhi: In a recent and concerning development, India’s drug regulator, the Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation (CDSCO), has flagged over fifty medications, including treatments for diabetes, high blood pressure, and bacterial infections, as not meeting quality standards. The alert issued for August designates these drugs as "Not of Standard Quality" (NSQ), raising alarms about the safety of widely used medications.
Among the drugs failing to meet quality benchmarks are some from leading pharmaceutical companies like Alkem Laboratories, Hetero Drugs, Hindustan Antibiotics Limited (HAL), and Karnataka Antibiotics and Pharmaceuticals Ltd. Notably, the list includes Glimepiride, an anti-diabetic medication; 500 mg paracetamol tablets; Telma H (Telmisartan), used for treating high blood pressure and acid reflux; and calcium supplements Shelcal C and D3.
Shelcal, a calcium supplement produced by Pure & Cure Healthcare in Uttarakhand and distributed by Torrent Pharmaceuticals, was flagged as NSQ. Similarly, Metronidazole, a commonly used antibiotic produced by HAL, failed to pass quality standards.
The scrutiny extends to Clavam 625 and Pan D, low-strength antibiotics manufactured by Alkem Health Science, which were found to be substandard by a state-run laboratory in Kolkata. The laboratory also identified Cepodem XP 50 dry suspension, a pediatric antibiotic from Hetero Drugs, as not meeting the required quality criteria.
Sun Pharma Laboratories Ltd. also came under the spotlight after its Ursocol 300, a medication used to dissolve certain gallstones, was identified as potentially spurious. Karnataka Antibiotics & Pharmaceuticals Ltd.’s paracetamol tablets, widely used for pain and fever, were also flagged for quality issues. Additionally, multiple batches of Telmisartan, a blood pressure medication manufactured by Life Max Cancer Lab in Haridwar, failed quality control tests.
The CDSCO issued two reports highlighting these quality concerns. One report lists 48 drugs that failed to meet quality standards, while the other contains responses from the implicated pharmaceutical companies. Several manufacturers, including Sun Pharma and Glenmark, have denied producing the flagged batches, suggesting the possibility of counterfeit drugs being involved.
Sun Pharma faced further scrutiny after three of its drugs—Pulmosil (used for erectile dysfunction), Pantocid (used for acid reflux), and Ursocol 300 (used for gallstones)—failed quality checks. Glenmark’s hypertension medication Telma H (Telmisartan) and Macleods Pharma’s arthritis treatment Defcort 6 were also implicated. However, all three companies have distanced themselves from the flagged batches, again raising concerns about counterfeit drugs in circulation.
These findings were detailed in the latest non-standard quality (NSQ) alerts issued by the CDSCO. The alerts are based on random monthly tests conducted by state drug authorities as part of ongoing efforts to ensure the safety of medications in the market.
In a related move, the CDSCO has recently banned over 156 fixed-dose combinations (FDCs), citing potential risks to human health. This ban includes popular medications like Cheston Cold and Foracet, which are commonly used for treating fever, pain, and allergies. Since 2014, the regulator has banned a total of 499 FDCs, as part of its ongoing efforts to address safety concerns surrounding multi-drug formulations.
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
Jharkhand horror: Man kills live-in partner, chops body into 40 pieces
Ranchi (PTI): A 25-year-old man, who works as a butcher, allegedly strangled to death his live-in partner and chopped her body into 40 to 50 pieces in a forested area in Jharkhand’s Khunti district, police said on Wednesday.
The accused, identified as Naresh Bhengra, was arrested.
The matter came to light after around a fortnight after the killing when a stray dog was found with human body parts near Jordag village in Jariagarh police station on November 24.
Bhengra was in a live-in relationship with the deceased, a 24-year-old woman also from Khunti district, in Tamil Nadu for the past couple of years. Sometime back, he returned to Jharkhand, got married to another woman without telling his partner anything and went back to the southern state without his wife to join her.
"The brutal incident occurred on November 8 when they reached Khunti as the accused who had married another woman did not wish to take her home. Instead, he took her to a forest near his house at Jordag village in Jariagarh police station and chopped the body into pieces. The man has been arrested," Khunti Superintendent of Police Aman Kumar told PTI.
Inspector Ashok Singh who investigated the case said the man worked in a butcher shop in Tamil Nadu and was expert in slicing chicken.
“He admitted chopping the body parts of the woman into 40 to 50 pieces before leaving those in the forest for wild animals to feast on. The police recovered several parts on November 24 after a dog in the area was seen with a hand," Singh told PTI.
Singh said that the woman, who was unaware of his marriage, pressured him to return to Khunti. After reaching Ranchi, they boarded a train on November 24 and headed to the man's village.
"Under a plan, the man took her to Khunti in an autorickshaw near his home and asked her to wait. He returned with sharp weapons and strangulated her with her dupatta after raping her. He then cut the body into 40 to 50 pieces and left for his home to live with his wife," Singh said.
The woman, however, had informed her mother that she had boarded a train and would be living with her partner, the police officer said.
Following the recovery of body parts, a bag was also found in the forest with the murdered woman's belongings including her Aadhaar card. The mother of the woman was called at the spot and she identified her daughter's belongings.
"The mother suspected the man behind the crime who after being nabbed by the police admitted to chopping the woman into pieces," the official added.
The incident has sent shockwaves among people in the region, with the Shraddha Walker murder case of 2022 still fresh in their memory.
Walker was killed by her live-in partner who chopped her body into pieces before dumping them in the jungle in South Delhi’s Mehrauli.
