CDSCO Flags 68 Drug Batches Including Albendazole, Meropenem as Not of Standard Quality in January

New Delhi: In a fresh alert highlighting continuing quality surveillance findings, 68 batches of drugs and medical devices have been declared Not of Standard Quality (NSQ) by laboratories operating under the Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation (CDSCO) during January2026.

The flagged products span a wide range of categories including injectables, tablets, capsules, syrups, suspensions, oral solutions, and medical devices, reflecting the breadth of regulatory monitoring across dosage forms and therapeutic segments.

The NSQ list features several widely used medicines such as Co-Trimoxazole Oral Suspension manufactured by Candour Pharmaceuticals, Rabeprazole Sodium Injection IP manufactured by Martin and Brown Bio-Sciences, Cyproheptadine Hydrochloride & Tricholine Citrate Syrup manufactured by Tridus Remedies, Albendazole Tablets IP 400 mg manufactured by Hindustan Antibiotics, Bupivacaine Hydrochloride in Dextrose Injection USP manufactured by Arco Lifesciences and others.

The list also includes medical devices, notably Suction Catheters manufactured by Morrisons Lifecare and I.V. Cannula with Injection Port manufactured by Poly Medicure.

The reasons cited for NSQ classification varied widely, encompassing assay failures where the active ingredient was found outside permissible limits, dissolution failures affecting drug release, sterility test failures in injectable products, particulate matter and clarity failures, pH deviations, microbial contamination, uniformity of content failures, and description or appearance-related non-compliance.

Drugs that fail to meet prescribed quality standards are termed Not of Standard Quality (NSQ). The definition of “standards of quality” is provided under Section 16 (1) (a) of the Drugs and Cosmetics Act, 1940, which requires that a drug complies with standards specified in the Second Schedule of the Act.