The Centre has allowed companies to begin lab testing immediately after filing applications instead of waiting for detailed scrutiny, in a move to expedite approvals for manufacture, or import of new drugs.
The government on Sunday gave a strong push to upgradation and expansion of healthcare infrastructure, medical education and pharma sector with the Union Budget 2026-27 announcing a slew of steps, including those aimed at making India a global hub for allied healthcare professionals and biopharma manufacturing.
A government hospital in Gwalior, Madhya Pradesh, is investigating a complaint about worms allegedly found in a bottle of Azithromycin antibiotic medicine given to a child. The entire stock has been sealed and sent for testing following the complaint.
A new law is being proposed to grant statutory powers to the Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation to regulate the manufacture, distribution, and sale of drugs, medical devices, and cosmetics.
A Delhi court acquitted a Brazilian national in a 2016 cocaine seizure case, citing the prosecution's failure to comply with mandatory provisions of the NDPS Act.
For decades, multinational pharmaceutical companies and Indian drugmakers worked in ways that supported each other: MNCs brought innovation and brands, while Indian companies built scale through generics and cost efficiency. There was an important overlap - generic drugs - but this is shrinking fast. And the consequences are reshaping India's gigantic pharmaceutical market.
Pharma major Dr Reddy's Laboratories (DRL) reported a 14 per cent year-on-year (Y-o-Y) drop in consolidated net profit to Rs 1,210 crore in the December quarter of FY 2025-26 (Q3FY26) on low sales of cancer drug Lenalidomide in the North American market. The firm's revenue from operations grew to Rs 8,727 crore in Q3FY26, a 4.4 per cent Y-o-Y increase from Rs 8,357 crore recorded for the same quarter last year.
Prices for Indian consumers are expected to come down significantly from the current Rs 17,000-Rs 26,000 monthly.
The Enforcement Directorate (ED) raided premises linked to Sresan Pharmaceuticals, the manufacturer of Coldrif cough syrup linked to the deaths of children in Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan, and top officials of the Tamil Nadu FDA as part of a money laundering investigation.
Health ministry advisory urges rational use of cough syrups in children after 11 deaths in Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan.
A special investigation team (SIT) has been formed in Madhya Pradesh to investigate the deaths of 14 children in Chhindwara, suspected to be linked to a toxic cough syrup. The investigation includes arrests, exhumations, and a ban on the implicated cough syrup.
Among the commonly used analgesic formulations (painkillers) found NSQ are combinations of paracetamol with ibuprofen, diclofenac and mefenamic acid. Medications using these combinations are commonly used to treat fever, mild migraine, period and muscle pain.
A vacation bench of Justices NJ Jamadar and Sharmila Deshmukh passed the decision on Wednesday while hearing a petition filed by the company challenging two orders of the state government.
The Supreme Court agreed to hear on Friday a public interest litigation (PIL) seeking inquiry and systemic reform in drug safety mechanisms in the wake of deaths of children in Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan allegedly due to consumption of toxic cough syrups.
Samples of the powder for babies did not conform to standard pH value during a laboratory test, the regulator said.
A joint team of the state and the Centre inspected the unit and found 12 violations or deficiencies.
The outcome reaffirms the company's own testing and the long-standing assurance it gave that its baby shampoo does not contain formaldehyde or any formaldehyde-releasing ingredients, J&J said.
Most of the pharma units are failing in documentation, and validation processes, and many don't have full-fledged quality control laboratories.
The Bombay high court on Wednesday ordered for fresh testing of Johnson & Johnson baby powder samples and permitted the company to manufacture the product but to not sell it, as per the Maharashtra government order. The company had filed a petition challenging two orders of the state government- one dated September 15 cancelling the license and the second dated September 20 ordering to immediately stop manufacturing and sale of the company's baby powder product. The orders were passed by the joint commissioner and licensing authority of the state Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
The joint inspections is to ensure the safety, efficacy, and quality of drugs available in the country
The DCGI said it has no objection in respect of 'Extension of Shelf Life of Covishield Vaccine' in multi-dose glass vial (10 dose-5ml) from six months to nine months.
Dr Reddy's, which has tied up with Russian Direct Investment Fund for Sputnik V in India, soft launched the vaccine in India in May 2021, after receiving Emergency Use Authorisation in April 2021.
Indian pharmaceutical companies are stepping up their efforts to combat the problem of counterfeit drugs, employing a variety of strategies, from packaging innovations to engaging private investigation agencies. The stakes are high, as counterfeit medicines not only harm consumers but also tarnish the reputation of leading brands.
The measles vaccine administered to children in Tamil Nadu has been given a clean chit by the Central Drugs Laboratory at Kasauli in Himachal Pradesh. Human error at the local level could have caused the deaths of four infants last month.
According to the ministry, chemical ethylene glycol was found in a batch of syrup during laboratory tests.
"It has been decided that for approval of COVID-19 vaccines in India for restricted use in emergency situation which are already approved for restricted use by US Food Drug Administration, European Medicines Agency, UK Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency, Pharmaceuticals and Medical Devices Agency Japan or which are listed in WHO Emergency Use Listing and which are well established vaccines from the stand point that millions of individuals have already been vaccinated with the said vaccines, the requirement of conducting post approval bridging clinical trials and of testing every batch of vaccine by CDL, Kasauli can be exempted, if the vaccine batch/lot has been certified and released by National Control Laboratory of country of origin," it said.
After reports of contamination in cough syrups sent from the country, India is considering a system to test them before exporting. It is learnt that the Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation (CDSCO) has sent a proposal to the Union health ministry on this. The idea is to test the medicines at government labs before exporting.
The voluntary move comes a little more than a year after the Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation, the central authority that approves new drugs for marketing, had asked the drug makers to withdraw the 'combination drugs' as they are 'unnecessary' and may pose health hazards. The Drugs Controller General of India had banned 294 combination drugs sold under nearly 1,053 brand names from the market in June 2007.
These brands belong to about 320 drugs of leading Indian pharmaceutical companies. The Drug Controller General of India's (DCGI's) office feels that these have been launched without its approval.
India's drug regulator Drugs Controller General of India has granted permission to Mumbai-based pharmaceutical company Cipla to import Moderna's COVID-19 vaccine for restricted emergency use in the country, official sources said on Tuesday.
India's drug regulator has initiated a probe and sought further details from the WHO after the global health body issued an alert that cough syrups manufactured by an Indian firm could potentially be linked to the death of children in Gambia.
Amidst rumblings within the state Bharatiya Janata Party seeking a change of leadership in strife-torn Manipur, Chief Minister N Biren Singh on Sunday tendered his resignation to Governor Ajay Kumar Bhalla at the Raj Bhavan in Imphal.
The World Health Organisation on Friday said that it is in touch with the Uzbek authorities about the reported deaths of 18 children after consuming contaminated cough syrup made by Noida-based Marion Biotech.
In an exclusive interview with PTI video, the minister also said an extensive risk-based analysis is done continuously to ensure the production of quality medicines in the country, and the government and regulators are always alert to ensure that no one dies due to spurious medicines.
Dr Reddy's Laboratories on Friday soft-launched imported COVID-19 vaccine Sputnik V, with Deepak Sapra, a senior executive of the drug-maker, taking the first shot in Hyderabad.
The CBI probe was ordered following a recommendation by Delhi Lt Governor V K Saxena on the matter in December last year.
More than 1.82 crore COVID-19 vaccine doses are available with states and union territories, and over 4 lakh will be received by them within the next three days, the Union health ministry said.
More than 90 lakh Covid-19 vaccine doses are still available with states and Union territories which will receive over 7 lakh additional doses in the next three days, the Union health ministry said on Tuesday.
It said clinical trials of the drug 2-deoxy-D-glucose (2-DG) showed that it helps in faster recovery of hospitalised patients and reduces supplemental oxygen dependence.
The central government is importing COVID-19 vaccines and is in talks with COVID-19 vaccine manufacturers Pfizer and Johnson & Johnson, Union Minister of State for Home Affairs G Kishan Reddy said.
© 2026 Rediff.com - Investor Information - Advertise with us - Disclaimer - Privacy Policy - Sitemap - Feedback - About us - Terms of use - Grievances