Ministry of Health and Family Welfare press release · 10 March 2026 · pibtracker filter

Steps taken for Testing and Surveillance of Drugs

PRID2237744 MinistryMinistry of Health and Family Welfare Released10 March 2026 Reading12 min

Strengthened Drug Quality Monitoring: Nearly 5 Lakh Samples Tested in Five Years to Ensure Safe Medicines Intensified Regulatory Vigilance: 960+ Drug Manufacturing Units Inspected Since Dec 2022; 860+ Actions Taken to Enforce Quality Standards Major Boost to Drug Safety Infrastructure: ₹756 Crore Central Share Released for Expansion of Drug Testing Laboratories Posted On: 10 MAR 2026 6:16PM by PIB Delhi The manufacture, sale and distribution of drugs are regulated in the country under the provisions of Drugs & Cosmetics Act, 1940 and Rules thereunder through a system of licensing and inspection. As per information received from various States/Union Territories Drugs Controllers (SDCs), number of drug samples reported Not of Standard Quality/spurious/adulterated by the States/UTs Drugs Controller during the last five years is as follows: Financial Year No. of drugs samples tested No. of drugs samples declared Not of Standard Quality No. of drugs samples declared Spurious/ Adulterated 2020-21 84,874 2,652 263 2021-22 88,844 2,545 379 2022-23 96,713 3,053 424 2023-24 1,06,150 2,988 282 2024-25 1,16,323 3,104 245 As a part of quality monitoring and in order to assess the regulatory compliance of drug manufacturing premises in the country, the Central Drugs Standard Control Organization (CDSCO), in collaboration with state regulators, initiated risk-based inspections of drug manufacturing and testing firms in December 2022. Firms have been identified based on risk criteria like number of drugs declared as not of standard quality, complaints, criticality of the products etc. As of now, CDSCO along with SDCs have conducted risk-based inspections of more than 960 premises since December, 2022 and based on findings, more than 860 actions like issuance of show cause notices, stop production order, suspension, cancellation of licenses /product licenses, warning letters have been taken by the States/UTs as per the provisions of the Drugs Rules 1945. Also, more than 1100 cough syrup manufacturers and 380 blood centres have been subjected to intense audit in coordination with State authorities. Increased market surveillance sampling of syrup formulations by Central and State drugs regulators has also been done. Further, Food Safety Standard Authority of India (FSSAI) and its regional offices through the State/UT Food Safety Departments, carry out regular surveillance, monitoring, inspections, and random sampling of food to ensure compliance with the quality & safety standards established under the Food Safety and Standards Act (FSS), 2006, and the Rules and Regulations made thereunder. To strengthen the drug testing infrastructure and enhance laboratory capacity across the country, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare has implemented a Centrally Sponsored Scheme 'Strengthening of States’ Drug Regulatory System (SSDRS). The scheme envisages upgrading existing State laboratories, setting up of new drug testing laboratories and upgradation of existing State drug control offices in the country. Under the SSDRS Scheme, funds totalling Rs. 756 Crore has been released to States/UTs as part of the Central Share and 19 New Drug Testing Labs have been constructed and 28 existing labs have been up-graded in various States/UTs. The Union Minister of State for Health and Family Welfare, Smt. Anupriya Patel stated this in a written reply in the Rajya Sabha today. **** SR HFW/ Steps Taken for Testing and Surveillance of Drugs/10 March 2026/6 (Release ID: 2237744) Visitor Counter : 549 Read this release in: Urdu , हिन्दी , Tamil Ministry of Health and Family Welfare Steps taken for Testing and Surveillance of Drugs Strengthened Drug Quality Monitoring: Nearly 5 Lakh Samples Tested in Five Years to Ensure Safe Medicines Intensified Regulatory Vigilance: 960+ Drug Manufacturing Units Inspected Since Dec 2022; 860+ Actions Taken to Enforce Quality Standards Major Boost to Drug Safety Infrastructure: ₹756 Crore Central Share Released for Expansion of Drug Testing Laboratories Posted On: 10 MAR 2026 6:16PM by PIB Delhi The manufacture, sale and distribution of drugs are regulated in the country under the provisions of Drugs & Cosmetics Act, 1940 and Rules thereunder through a system of licensing and inspection. As per information received from various States/Union Territories Drugs Controllers (SDCs), number of drug samples reported Not of Standard Quality/spurious/adulterated by the States/UTs Drugs Controller during the last five years is as follows: Financial Year No. of drugs samples tested No. of drugs samples declared Not of Standard Quality No. of drugs samples declared Spurious/ Adulterated 2020-21 84,874 2,652 263 2021-22 88,844 2,545 379 2022-23 96,713 3,053 424 2023-24 1,06,150 2,988 282 2024-25 1,16,323 3,104 245 As a part of quality monitoring and in order to assess the regulatory compliance of drug manufacturing premises in the country, the Central Drugs Standard Control Organization (CDSCO), in collaboration with state regulators, initiated risk-based inspections of drug manufacturing and testing firms in December 2022. Firms have been identified based on risk criteria like number of drugs declared as not of standard quality, complaints, criticality of the products etc. As of now, CDSCO along with SDCs have conducted risk-based inspections of more than 960 premises since December, 2022 and based on findings, more than 860 actions like issuance of show cause notices, stop production order, suspension, cancellation of licenses /product licenses, warning letters have been taken by the States/UTs as per the provisions of the Drugs Rules 1945. Also, more than 1100 cough syrup manufacturers and 380 blood centres have been subjected to intense audit in coordination with State authorities. Increased market surveillance sampling of syrup formulations by Central and State drugs regulators has also been done. Further, Food Safety Standard Authority of India (FSSAI) and its regional offices through the State/UT Food Safety Departments, carry out regular surveillance, monitoring, inspections, and random sampling of food to ensure compliance with the quality & safety standards established under the Food Safety and Standards Act (FSS), 2006, and the Rules and Regulations made thereunder. To strengthen the drug testing infrastructure and enhance laboratory capacity across the country, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare has implemented a Centrally Sponsored Scheme 'Strengthening of States’ Drug Regulatory System (SSDRS). The scheme envisages upgrading existing State laboratories, setting up of new drug testing laboratories and upgradation of existing State drug control offices in the country. Under the SSDRS Scheme, funds totalling Rs. 756 Crore has been released to States/UTs as part of the Central Share and 19 New Drug Testing Labs have been constructed and 28 existing labs have been up-graded in various States/UTs. The Union Minister of State for Health and Family Welfare, Smt. Anupriya Patel stated this in a written reply in the Rajya Sabha today. **** SR HFW/ Steps Taken for Testing and Surveillance of Drugs/10 March 2026/6 (Release ID: 2237744) Strengthened Drug Quality Monitoring: Nearly 5 Lakh Samples Tested in Five Years to Ensure Safe Medicines Intensified Regulatory Vigilance: 960+ Drug Manufacturing Units Inspected Since Dec 2022; 860+ Actions Taken to Enforce Quality Standards Major Boost to Drug Safety Infrastructure: ₹756 Crore Central Share Released for Expansion of Drug Testing Laboratories" /> The manufacture, sale and distribution of drugs are regulated in the country under the provisions of Drugs & Cosmetics Act, 1940 and Rules thereunder through a system of licensing and inspection. As per information received from various States/Union Territories Drugs Controllers (SDCs), number of drug samples reported Not of Standard Quality/spurious/adulterated by the States/UTs Drugs Controller during the last five years is as follows: <table border="1" bordercolor="#ccc" cellpadding="5" cellspacing="0" class="MsoTableGrid" style="border-collapse:collapse"> <tbody> <tr> <td style="width:97.55pt"> Financial Year   </td> <td style="width:4.0cm"> No. of drugs samples tested </td> <td style="width:99.25pt"> No. of drugs samples declared Not of Standard Quality </td> <td style="width:148.8pt"> No. of drugs samples declared Spurious/ Adulterated </td> </tr> <tr> <td style="width:97.55pt"> 2020-21 </td> <td style="width:4.0cm"> 84,874 </td> <td style="width:99.25pt"> 2,652 </td> <td style="width:148.8pt"> 263 </td> </tr> <tr> <td style="width:97.55pt"> 2021-22 </td> <td style="width:4.0cm"> 88,844 </td> <td style="width:99.25pt"> 2,545 </td> <td style="width:148.8pt"> 379 </td> </tr> <tr> <td style="width:97.55pt"> 2022-23 </td> <td style="width:4.0cm"> 96,713 </td> <td style="width:99.25pt"> 3,053 </td> <td style="width:148.8pt"> 424 </td> </tr> <tr> <td style="width:97.55pt"> 2023-24 </td> <td style="width:4.0cm"> 1,06,150 </td> <td style="width:99.25pt"> 2,988 </td> <td style="width:148.8pt"> 282 </td> </tr> <tr> <td style="width:97.55pt"> 2024-25 </td> <td style="width:4.0cm"> 1,16,323 </td> <td style="width:99.25pt"> 3,104 </td> <td style="width:148.8pt"> 245 </td> </tr> </tbody> </table>   As a part of quality monitoring and in order to assess the regulatory compliance of drug manufacturing premises in the country, the Central Drugs Standard Control Organization (CDSCO), in collaboration with state regulators, initiated risk-based inspections of drug manufacturing and testing firms in December 2022. Firms have been identified based on risk criteria like number of drugs declared as not of standard quality, complaints, criticality of the products etc. As of now, CDSCO along with SDCs have conducted risk-based inspections of more than 960 premises since December, 2022 and based on findings, more than 860 actions like issuance of show cause notices, stop production order, suspension, cancellation of licenses /product licenses, warning letters have been taken by the States/UTs as per the provisions of the Drugs Rules 1945. Also, more than 1100 cough syrup manufacturers and 380 blood centres have been subjected to intense audit in coordination with State authorities. Increased market surveillance sampling of syrup formulations by Central and State drugs regulators has also been done. Further, Food Safety Standard Authority of India (FSSAI) and its regional offices through the State/UT Food Safety Departments, carry out regular surveillance, monitoring, inspections, and random sampling of food to ensure compliance with the quality & safety standards established under the Food Safety and Standards Act (FSS), 2006, and the Rules and Regulations made thereunder. To strengthen the drug testing infrastructure and enhance laboratory capacity across the country, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare has implemented a Centrally Sponsored Scheme 'Strengthening of States’ Drug Regulatory System (SSDRS). The scheme envisages upgrading existing State laboratories, setting up of new drug testing laboratories and upgradation of existing State drug control offices in the country. Under the SSDRS Scheme, funds totalling Rs. 756 Crore has been released to States/UTs as part of the Central Share and 19 New Drug Testing Labs have been constructed and 28 existing labs have been up-graded in various States/UTs. The Union Minister of State for Health and Family Welfare, Smt. Anupriya Patel stated this in a written reply in the Rajya Sabha today. **** SR HFW/ Steps Taken for Testing and Surveillance of Drugs/10 March 2026/6 " /> var mPlayer = document.getElementById("background_music"); var mPlayAction = document.getElementById("playbutton"); var isPlaying = false; function playAudio() { mPlayer.play(); isPlaying = true; document.getElementById('stopA').style.display = "block"; document.getElementById('playA').style.display = "none"; } function pauseAudio() { mPlayer.pause(); isPlaying = false; document.getElementById('playA').style.display = "block"; document.getElementById('stopA').style.display = "none"; } //function HandleAudio() { // if (isPlaying == true) { // //Playing already Pause it // pauseAudio(); // } else { // //Play the music // playAudio(); // } //} var synth = window.speechSynthesis; function CleanHtml(html) { html = html.replace(/ /gi, ''); return html; } function stripHtml(html) { let tmp = document.createElement("DIV"); tmp.innerHTML = CleanHtml(html); 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} } /* === Film Roll Badge Styling(IFFI2025 countdown) === */ .film-roll-badge { position: absolute; top:82%; right: 20px; width: 230px; height: 70px; background: repeating-linear-gradient( to right, #9a2375 0px, #9a2375 18px, #6e2b8b 18px, #6e2b8b 36px ); border-top: 8px solid #9a2375; border-bottom: 8px solid #9a2375; border-radius: 8px; overflow: hidden; box-shadow: 0 4px 12px rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.4); animation: moveFilm 8s linear infinite; z-index: 10; } /* film sprocket holes */ .film-roll-badge::before, .film-roll-badge::after { content: ""; position: absolute; width: 100%; height: 10px; background: repeating-linear-gradient( to right, #9a2375 0px, #9a2375 10px, #fff 10px, #fff 20px ); left: 0; z-index: 2; } .film-roll-badge::before { top: -4px; } .film-roll-badge::after { bottom: -4px; } .film-roll-inner { position: relative; height: 100%; display: flex; align-items: center; justify-content: center; animation: flicker 2s infinite ease-in-out; } .countdown-text { font-size: 1.3rem; font-weight: 700; color: #fff; text-shadow: 0 0 6px rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.4), 0 0 10px #000; white-space: nowrap; } /* === Animations === */ @keyframes moveFilm { 0% { background-position: 0 0; } 100% { background-position: 120px 0; } } @keyframes flicker { 0%, 100% { opacity: 1; } 50% { opacity: 0.9; } 25% { opacity: 0.95; } 75% { opacity: 0.85; } } /* === Responsive Adjustments === */ @media (max-width: 1500px) { .film-roll-badge { top: 68%; right: 18px; /* width: 220px; */ height: 65px; font-size: 0.85rem; } .press-section { margin-top: 35px; } } @media (max-width: 992px) { .film-roll-badge { top: 52%; right: 10px; width: 200px; height: 60px; } } @media (max-width: 768px) { .film-roll-badge { top: 56%; right: 10px; width: 124px; height: 55px; } .countdown-text { font-size: 0.9rem; } } @media (max-width: 576px) { .film-roll-badge { top: 59%; right: 5px; /* width: 160px; */ height: 50px; } .countdown-text { font-size: 0.85rem; } } const festivalStart = new Date("2025-11-20T00:00:00").getTime(); const festivalEnd = new Date("2025-11-28T23:59:59").getTime(); const countdownElement = document.getElementById("countdown"); const interval = setInterval(() => { const now = new Date().getTime(); // BEFORE FESTIVAL — show days + hours left if (now = festivalStart && now el.style.width = "350px");

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Steps taken for Testing and Surveillance of Drugs

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