Latest news with #DrugControllerGeneralofIndia
Mint
23-05-2025
- Health
- Mint
Govt to direct makers of lice lotion lindane on safe use, disposal labelling
New Delhi: The Centre is set to direct manufacturers of lindane, an insecticide used to treat scabies and lice infestations, to put clear labels on the containers to educate consumers about the drug use and its safe disposal, a government official said. The Drug Controller General of India's (DCGI) move follows concerns about lindane misuse in humans. To be sure, lindane is not prohibited in India, and is allowed to be sold as lotion and shampoo for human use. With a domestic production capacity of 1,300 tonnes per annum, India is a major exporter of the drug. Also read: New check for old drugs as Centre reviews safety In January this year, the Union health ministry received a communication from the ministry of environment, forest & climate change regarding lindane, highlighting that Stockholm Convention is a global environmental treaty that aims to protect human health and the environment from persistent organic pollutants (POPs). India is a signatory to the convention. Lindane is listed under the Stockholm Convention on persistent organic pollutants. PoPs are toxic chemicals persist in the environment for long periods, resisting degradation through natural processes. They can remain in the soil, water, and air for years or even decades. They accumulate in living organisms and pose risks to human health and ecosystems. Also read: An influencer gained followers as she documented her weight loss. Then she revealed she was on a GLP-1 The matter was taken up at the Drugs Technical Advisory Board meeting in April chaired by the Director General of Health Services (DGHS). The minutes of the meeting, reviewed by Mint, stated that the board also observed that topical preparation of lindane is used as a second-line treatment for scabies and lice infestations and Stockholm Convention also permits such use. Scabies is a contagious skin condition caused by tiny mites that burrow under the skin, causing intense itching and a rash. Queries sent to the health ministry remained unanswered till press time. In India, lindane formulations are registered for use in pharmaceutical products for control of head lice and scabies on people and sold under different brand names. Also read: Why America has not passed a law to treat addiction better 'Lindane is an affordable and effective drug for the treatment of scabies and lice infestations and recommended for continued marketing of drugs. So, the plan is to issue the guidance note for the manufacturer for safe disposal of the drug at all levels including instruction on the label," said the official aware of the matter. According to the official, unsafe disposal of leftover lindane has led to several cases of accidental misuse in homes.
Time of India
14-05-2025
- Health
- Time of India
Govt may mandate QR codes on vaccines, key drugs to curb counterfeits
New Delhi: Vaccines , antimicrobials, narcotic drugs and psychotropic substances, and additional cancer drugs would have to mandatorily print or affix bar codes or quick response (QR) codes on their labels. This follows the government mulling the possibility of bringing them under Schedule H2 of Drug Rules to track their movement to curb counterfeiting. Additionally, the government is considering inclusion of details of excipients on every medicine strip for 300 drug formulations that are under Schedule H2. Currently, the labels declare only those active substances added in the formulation. An excipient is a constituent of a medicine other than the active substances, added in the formulation for a specific purpose. While most excipients are considered inactive, some can have a known action or effect in certain circumstances. "The Drug Controller General of India (DCGI) will hold a meeting this week to deliberate on both the issues," people in the know told ET. Earlier the drug regulatory authority had included a few cancer drugs to help validate the authenticity of medicines following incidents of refilling of expensive anti-cancer drugs with counterfeit drugs . It came to light that criminals in collusion with hospital pharmacies were found refilling empty vials of expensive anti-cancer medicines with counterfeit drugs. These fake drugs were then mixed with genuine stocks and sold to unsuspecting cancer patients, putting their lives at risk. Live Events In a bid to weed out spurious drugs, the regulator had made it mandatory for companies to have a barcode on the top 300 brands, so that information such as manufacturing licence and batch number can be accessed upon scanning. These drugs included widely-used analgesics, pain relievers, anti-platelet, vitamin supplements, blood-sugar lowering medicines and contraceptive tablets.
