The Maharashtra Food and Drug Administration has suspended the licence of Mumbai's renowned K Rustom ice cream parlour due to severe hygiene and food safety violations. An inspection revealed live rats and flies, expired flavouring agents, and ice cream with insufficient milk fat, leading to the parlour's closure under the 'Safe Food, Safe Maharashtra' campaign.
The central drugs laboratories found 42 drug samples manufactured by various firms to be "not of standard quality (NSQ)" in its monthly drug alert for April, Union health ministry officials said on Thursday. Further, the state drug testing laboratories have identified 127 drug samples as NSQ, they said.
The World Health Organisation (WHO) has issued an alert against three "substandard" oral cough syrups identified in India and urged national regulatory authorities worldwide to immediately notify it if these are detected in their country.
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) seized suspicious food items worth almost Rs 12 lakh in Thane district, leading to the arrest of six persons.
Delhi Police busted a fake cosmetic manufacturing racket in northwest Delhi, arresting four individuals involved in the production and distribution of counterfeit hair removal cream and other products.
The Central Drugs Laboratories identified 60 drug samples as 'not of standard quality' in February, while state labs found 134 substandard samples. Investigations are underway for spurious drugs manufactured by unauthorised companies.
India may adopt a "calibrated" and a "step-by-step" approach to easing norms on investments originating from China, Union Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal said on Tuesday. He was in a conversation with A K Bhattacharya on Day 1 of Business Standard's two-day annual event, Manthan 2026. The minister said foreign direct investment (FDI) from China was certainly not "banned", but it goes through an approval process. "The government's approach at the moment is to accelerate the approval process."
With TDP and YSRCP trying to score political points, the sacred laddu may well create a storm in days to come.
Ahead of the key meeting called by the steel ministry with the industry captains on Monday to discuss the impact of rising steel imports, companies have raised the issue of cheaper 'substandard' inflows from China, Vietnam, and South Korea, saying they are setting the benchmark for domestic prices and squeezing the profitability of Indian producers.
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.
The WHO will take a call on issuing a 'Global Medical Products Alert' on the cough syrup, Coldrif, after receiving an official confirmation from authorities here. The agency issues such alerts for substandard and contaminated medicines.
Madhya Pradesh minister Narendra Shivaji Patel blames the Tamil Nadu government for the deaths of 20 children due to contaminated cough syrup, citing negligence in inspecting medicines. The Tamil Nadu government has banned the sale of the syrup and ordered its removal from the market. Congress leader Digvijaya Singh criticizes the food and drug department's administration.
The bilateral trade between India and China has been growing at a healthy rate, but the trade gap remains sharply tilted in Beijing's favour. India has time and again flagged its concern over the ballooning trade deficit and the non-trade barriers faced by Indian goods in the Chinese market.
If India caves in to US pressure as Trump hopes it will, he will further try to blackmail it into submission, points out Ramesh Menon.
The World Health Organisation has issued an alert for four 'contaminated' medicines manufactured by an Indian pharmaceutical company that have been 'potentially linked' with acute kidney injuries and 66 deaths among children in The Gambia.
In a medical product alert on Wednesday, the WHO said the 'substandard medical products', manufactured by Marion Biotech, 'are products that fail to meet quality standards or specifications and are therefore out of specification'.
The WHO on Tuesday issued a product alert over contaminated syrup by an Indian manufacturer, warning that it is unsafe for use, especially in children, and may result in serious injury or death.
Various industry bodies have sought immediate government intervention through the imposition of anti-dumping duties, claiming India has seen a surge in imports of Chinese goods over the past two weeks.
More lucrative routinely prescribed drugs are at higher risk of failing quality standards
Minister of State for Health Bharati Pravin Pawar said 642 prosecutions were launched for manufacturing, sale and distribution of spurious/adulterated drugs, while 262 persons were arrested.
Oral paracetamol and another cough medicine manufactured by companies based in Mumbai and Punjab were found to be "sub-standard or found to be containing toxins", reports Sohini Das.
The Delhi High Court has been told by the city government's Food Safety Department that rice and other food samples collected from three popular eateries in the capital have been found to be unsafe and substandard.
Alkem Labs was issued drug alerts twice last year -- in June and July -- for its drug Glimekem.
With internet sales of medications on the rise, people everywhere are increasingly at risk.
The draft e-commerce rules released last year held e-commerce marketplace responsible if a seller on its platform failed to deliver the goods or services ordered by a consumer "due to negligent conduct, omission or commission of any act by such seller", causing loss to the consumer.
Watch and jewellery manufacturer Titan Industries on Wednesday forayed into the fashion accsssories industry with the launch of sunglasses.
The Tirupati Laddu row intensified on Friday with the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD), which is managing the super-rich temple, backing Chief Minister N Chandra Babu Naidu's claim that the famous 'prasadam' had animal fat and Yuvajana Sramika Rythu Congress Party president Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy dubbing the accusations as 'atrocious'.
The controversy has sparked reactions across states. The famous Mankameshwar temple in Uttar Pradesh has now banned offerings of 'prasad' bought by devotees from outside and said they can offer homemade 'prasad' or fruits.
Rise in raids on illicit drug manufacturing units, alongside arrests for the production, sale, or distribution of spurious or adulterated drugs.
The move follows an FDA inspection of a Ranbaxy facility which identified significant violations of sound manufacturing practices.
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.
A notification of the revised Schedule M rules by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare has elicited mixed responses from the pharma sector and industry observers. While the industry has welcomed the revision of rules, several analysts said that implementation and compliance can become a challenge for smaller pharmaceutical companies. The Schedule M of the Drugs and Cosmetics Rules specifies the good manufacturing practices (GMPs), which aim to ensure quality of drugs made in the country.
The Central Consumer Protection Authority (CCPA) on Wednesday said it has imposed a penalty of Rs 1 lakh on e-commerce firm Flipkart for allowing sale of substandard domestic pressure cookers on its platform, in violation of mandatory standards. Headed by Chief Commissioner Nidhi Khare, the CCPA has directed Flipkart to recall all such 598 pressure cookers sold on its platform, reimburse their buyers, and submit a compliance report within 45 days. The central government routinely notifies the Quality Control Orders (QCOs), specifying compulsory conformity to a standard and use of the standard mark for a product to protect consumers from the risk of suffering injury and harm and in the interest of the public at large.
With an eye on improving quality assurance in the wake of increased global scrutiny on Indian pharma products, the Centre on Tuesday said that Schedule M of the Drugs and Cosmetics Act, 1940 will be made compulsory for small and medium scale manufacturers in a phased manner. Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya has asked micro-small and medium enterprises in pharma manufacturing to move towards good manufacturing practices (GMP) through self regulation. "This will help in quality assurance and also reduce compliance burden," Mandaviya.
The manufacturing licence of Noida-based pharmaceutical firm Marion Biotech has been cancelled by the Uttar Pradesh authorities, according to officials.
Maya Chemtech India Pvt Ltd supplied propylene glycol used in Marion Biotech's cough syrups that were found to be "not of standard quality", according to the regulator.
Health experts express concern about the unsupervised consumption of dietary supplements, warning poor-quality products can affect cardiovascular health and kidneys.
Three employees of a Noida-based pharmaceutical firm, whose cough syrup is alleged to have led to the death of 18 children in Uzbekistan last year, were arrested on charges of manufacturing and sale of adulterated drugs, officials said.
A probe has been initiated by India's drug regulator after the World Health Organisation (WHO) issued an alert saying cough syrups manufactured by an Indian firm could potentially be linked to the death of children in The Gambia, official sources said.
'I joined Heeramandi's shoot right after completing Laapataa Ladies.' 'When I landed on the Heeramandi sets, I was like "Oh my God!" because this was for the first time I was seeing such a huge set in my life.'
