September 2026: 330 drug samples Not of Standard Quality, one spurious – CDSCO monthly drug alert
23-10-2026 · English
Topics: Sports, Governance, Health & Awards · 23 October 2026 Current Affairs (UPSC / TNPSC / SSC / RRB)
News
In its September 2026 surveillance report (reported on 23 Oct 2026), the Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation (CDSCO) under the Union Health Ministry flagged 330 drug samples as 'Not of Standard Quality' (NSQ): 42 by Central Drugs Laboratories and 288 by State Drug Testing Laboratories. One sample from NCT Delhi was 'spurious' – made by unauthorised makers using another company's brand name; it is under investigation. CDSCO said the failure applies only to the tested batch. The August 2026 figure was 220.
Key facts
| Report | September 2026 surveillance; reported 23 Oct 2026 |
| NSQ | 330 – Central labs 42 + State labs 288 |
| Spurious | 1 – NCT Delhi; unauthorised maker using another's brand name |
| Comparison | August 2026 – 220 NSQ (Central 29, State 191) |
| CDSCO | Under Union Health Ministry via DGHS; headed by Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI); HQ New Delhi |
| Practice | NSQ & spurious list published monthly on the CDSCO portal |
Background
- Law: Drugs and Cosmetics Act, 1940 – Sec 17 (misbranded), 17A (adulterated), 17B (spurious: made under another drug's name, fictitious manufacturer, substituted substance, etc.). NSQ = failing one or more specified quality parameters.
- Schedule M: Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP) under the Drugs and Cosmetics Rules, 1945. Revised Schedule M notified 28 Dec 2023; large firms by June 2024; MSMEs (turnover up to ₹250 crore) given time till 31 Dec 2025.
- Science: diethylene glycol (DEG) is an industrial solvent; substituted for pharmaceutical solvents (propylene glycol, glycerine) it causes acute kidney failure. In Oct 2025 WHO issued a Medical Product Alert on Coldrif, Respifresh TR and ReLife.
Tamil Nadu link: Coldrif cough syrup, linked to child deaths in Chhindwara district, Madhya Pradesh in 2025, was made by Sresan Pharmaceuticals at Sunguvarchatram, Kancheepuram district; it contained about 48.6% diethylene glycol. Tamil Nadu banned its sale (1 Oct), stopped production and fully revoked the firm's manufacturing licence (13 Oct 2025); owner G. Ranganathan was arrested in Chennai on 9 Oct. 'Drugs' are in the Concurrent List; under the Act most drug-manufacturing licences are issued by State Licensing Authorities.
Source: The News Mill, Asianet Newsable (23 Oct 2026); India Briefing (Schedule M); The News Minute (Coldrif, Oct 2025); Wikipedia – 2025 India cough syrup crisis
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