330 drug samples fail quality tests in September, says Centre

A total of 330 drug samples tested across the country were found to be "not of standard quality" (NSQ) in September 2026, while one sample from Delhi was identified as spurious, the Union Health Ministry said on Friday.

According to the ministry, Central Drugs Laboratories identified 42 drug samples as NSQ, while State Drugs Testing Laboratories flagged another 288 samples during routine regulatory surveillance.

The findings were released as part of the monthly drug alert issued by the Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation (CDSCO), which publishes details of substandard and spurious medicines on its official portal.

"For the month of September 2026, Central Drugs Laboratories have identified 42 drug samples to be Not of Standard Quality (NSQ) and State Drugs Testing Laboratories have identified 288 drug samples as NSQ," the ministry said in a statement.

𝗤𝘂𝗮𝗹𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗳𝗮𝗶𝗹𝘂𝗿𝗲𝘀 𝗯𝗮𝘁𝗰𝗵-𝘀𝗽𝗲𝗰𝗶𝗳𝗶𝗰

The ministry clarified that a drug sample is classified as NSQ when it fails to meet one or more prescribed quality parameters during laboratory testing.

Such failures are specific to the particular batch of a medicine examined by government laboratories and do not automatically indicate problems with other batches or products manufactured by the same company.

The ministry emphasised that the identification of an NSQ sample should not be interpreted as evidence that all medicines sold under the same brand name are unsafe or substandard.

The monthly surveillance programme is intended to identify quality deficiencies and enable regulators to take appropriate action against affected batches.

𝗦𝗽𝘂𝗿𝗶𝗼𝘂𝘀 𝗱𝗿𝘂𝗴 𝗱𝗲𝘁𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝗶𝗻 𝗗𝗲𝗹𝗵𝗶

In addition to the 330 NSQ samples, authorities identified one spurious drug sample from the National Capital Territory of Delhi.

According to the ministry, the medicine had been manufactured by an unauthorised manufacturer using a brand name belonging to another company.

The matter is currently under investigation, and regulatory action will be initiated in accordance with the applicable provisions of the Drugs and Cosmetics Act and Rules.

The ministry did not provide further details about the manufacturer or the medicine involved in the statement.

𝗥𝗲𝗴𝘂𝗹𝗮𝗿 𝗱𝗿𝘂𝗴 𝘀𝘂𝗿𝘃𝗲𝗶𝗹𝗹𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲

The CDSCO conducts routine drug quality surveillance in coordination with state drug regulatory authorities to monitor medicines available in the market.

Samples collected through these exercises are tested at central and state laboratories to assess compliance with prescribed standards.

The results are published every month on the CDSCO portal, allowing regulators and other stakeholders to identify medicines that have failed quality tests.

According to the ministry, the objective of the exercise is to ensure that substandard and spurious medicines are detected and removed from the supply chain.

The Centre said it would continue working with state regulators to identify such medicines and take action under the relevant legal provisions to safeguard public health.