Central drug laboratories found samples of 52 medicines ‘not of standard quality’ in alert issued for September

Health ministry officials on Thursday said Central Drug Laboratories have found 52 samples manufactured by various companies “not of standard quality”, in their monthly drug alert for September.

Additionally, state drug testing laboratories have identified 60 drug samples as “not of standard quality”.

As per regular regulatory monitoring activity, list of Not of Standard Quality (NSQ) and Counterfeit Medicines is being displayed on CDSCO portal on monthly basis.

For September 2025, central drug laboratories have identified 52 drug samples, and state drug testing laboratories have identified 60 drug samples as not being of standard quality, an official said.

Drug samples are identified as NSQ based on failure of the drug sample in one or more specified quality parameters. Officials said the failure is specific to the batch of drug products tested by the government laboratory, and does not warrant any concern on other drug products available in the market.

Also, in September, a sample from Chhattisgarh state was identified as a counterfeit drug, made by an unauthorized manufacturer using a brand name owned by another company. The matter is being investigated and action will be taken as per the Act and rules.

This action to identify NSQ and counterfeit drugs is carried out on a regular basis in collaboration with state regulators to ensure that these drugs are identified and removed from the market.