The Drugs Control Department in the last few weeks has declared certain drugs, including medicines for blood pressure and heart diseases, as substandard and has given instructions to all drugs stores to stop their sales.
The department has also asked the distributors to withdraw the products from the market. Atenolol 50 mg tablet, which is used for high blood pressure, has been found to be substandard. The drug is manufactured by Vivek Pharmachem (India) Ltd , Amer, and the expiry date of the product is marked as October, 2013.
Another drug that is given for heart diseases named Statin-10 Atrovastatin Calcium tablets (Batch no 3981), manufactured by Indica Laboratories(P) Ltd, Gujarat, was also asked to be withdrawn from the market. The drug also did not pass the standard tests. Ruxoglit Pioglitazone tablets (batch No. KT0611184), which is an anti-diabetic medicine, has also been declared as substandard. The drug is manufactured by Kaushik Therapeutics Pvt Ltd, Chennai.
The Drugs Control Department has also banned several pain killers and anti-inflammatory drugs. Aspirin tablets (batch No. D10012) from the Kerala State Drugs and Pharmaceuticals Ltd, Alappuzha, has been declared as substandard.
The expiry date of the drug is June 2015. The distributors have been asked to withdraw the batch from the market.
Ciprofloxacin tablets (batch no. TCP 1101) and Lactum - SB Ceftriaxone and Salbactam 150 mg for injection (batch No.120520) are the anti-inflammatory drugs that have been found to be substandard in the laboratory tests.
Ciprofloxacin tablets is manufactured by Concord Drugs Ltd, Uttarakhand and Lactum - SB Ceftriaxone and Salbactam are manufactured by Ultra Drugs Pvt Ltd, Himachal Pradesh. The drug stores and the manufacturers of pain killer Diran 50 Diclofenac Sodium tablets (batch No. 4148) have been asked to withdraw the drug as it was found to be substandard. Indica Laboratories, Gujarat, is the manufacturers of the drug.
The Drugs Control Department has also banned BSY NONI Facial Soap (batch no 20120325), manufactured by Guangzhou Innovation Workshop Commodity Co. Ltd, China.