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.
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Trump pauses Project Freedom, claims great progress for final agreement with Iran
Washington (PTI): President Donald Trump has suspended “Project Freedom,” to escort ships through the Strait of Hormuz, claiming progress in negotiations with Iran toward an agreement to end the war.
In a post on Truth Social on Tuesday, Trump said, “Great progress has been made toward a complete and final agreement with representatives of Iran.”
“Based on the request of Pakistan and other Countries, the tremendous Military Success that we have had during the Campaign against the Country of Iran and, additionally, the fact that Great Progress has been made toward a Complete and Final Agreement with Representatives of Iran, we have mutually agreed that, while the Blockade will remain in full force and effect, Project Freedom (The Movement of Ships through the Strait of Hormuz) will be paused for a short period of time to see whether or not the Agreement can be finalized and signed," Trump said.
Project Freedom was launched on Monday to escort ships, stranded due to the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, out to safety. Trump had announced the operation on Sunday and the US Central Command began implementing it the next day.
However, the Project led to friction in the vicinity of the narrow seaway, a key route for transporting one-fifth of the global oil supplies, with the UAE claiming that its ships were attacked by Iran. The US also claimed to have destroyed several Iranian small boats.
Trump’s statement on Truth Social came hours after US Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced that Operation Epic Fury, launched on February 28, had concluded as its objectives have been achieved.
"Operation Epic Fury is concluded. We achieved the objectives of that operation. We're not cheering for an additional situation to occur. We would prefer the path of peace. What @POTUS would prefer is a deal... that is, so far, not the route that Iran has chosen," Rubio told a press conference at the White House on Tuesday.
On Project Freedom, Rubio said the goal was to rescue almost 23,000 civilians from 87 different countries who were trapped inside the Persian Gulf and left for dead by the Iranian regime.
"This is not an offensive operation. This is a defensive operation, and what that means is very simple: there’s no shooting unless we're shot at first. We’re not attacking them, but if they're attacking us or they’re attacking a ship, you need to respond to that," Rubio said.
