New Delhi: Drug regulators flagged 167 medicine samples as Not of Standard Quality (NSQ) in December 2025 after nationwide testing, the Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation (CDSCO) said in an official statement.
Of the total NSQ samples, 74 were identified by Central Drugs Laboratories, while 93 were flagged by State Drugs Testing Laboratories. A drug is classified as NSQ when it fails to meet one or more prescribed quality standards during laboratory analysis. Officials clarified that such findings are limited to the specific batch tested and do not indicate issues with other batches or similar medicines available in the market.
The CDSCO also reported the detection of seven spurious drug samples during the month. Four of these were identified by the North Zone laboratory in Ghaziabad, while one sample each was detected by drug regulators in Ahmedabad, Bihar, and Maharashtra. According to authorities, these medicines were allegedly manufactured by unauthorised entities using brand names belonging to other companies. Investigations are currently underway, and strict action will be taken under the Drugs and Cosmetics Act and Rules.
As part of its regulatory oversight, the CDSCO publishes a monthly list of NSQ and spurious drugs on its official portal. The process is carried out in coordination with state drug regulators to ensure that substandard and fake medicines are swiftly identified and removed from circulation.
In comparison, November 2025 recorded a higher number of NSQ cases, with 205 drug samples failing quality tests—64 identified by central laboratories and 141 by state labs. During the same month, two spurious drug samples linked to unauthorised manufacturers were detected in the North Zone, Ghaziabad.
Health authorities reiterated that continuous surveillance, testing, and enforcement remain crucial to safeguarding public health and maintaining medicine quality standards across the country.
167 Drug Samples Fail Quality Tests in December, Seven Found Spurious: CDSCO
