CDSCO had tested 112 medicine samples across the country, out of which 11 samples from Punjab failed.
SNPNEWS.IN News (Gurmail Kamboj): The September 2025 report of the Central Drugs Standard Control Organization (CDSCO) has come to light, according to which 11 medicine samples being sold in Punjab have failed. These medicines are used to control cough, fever, anemia, type-2 diabetes, high blood pressure, infections, etc. The most surprising thing is that three cough syrups also failed, one of which was counterfeit.
Following reports of child deaths after using cough syrups in Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, and other places recently, CDSCO tested 112 medicine samples across the country, out of which 11 from pharma companies in Punjab failed to meet the brand standards.
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● Agen-20 Rabeprazole Tablet IP (Mohali). Use: To reduce stomach acidity. Reason for rejection: Failed quality standards in acid stage and buffer stage tests.
● Panzol-40 Tablet Pantoprazole Gastro Resistant IP 40 mg (Mohali). Use: To treat stomach acidity and ulcers. Reason for rejection: Failed dissolution test of pantoprazole in buffer stage.
● Raxofen Ibuprofen and Paracetamol Tablet IP (Mohali). Use: To reduce pain and fever. Reason for rejection: Failed dissolution test of paracetamol and ibuprofen.
● Podorum Cefpodoxime Tablet IP 200 mg (Gurdaspur). Use: To treat bacterial infections. Reason for rejection: Failed dissolution and assay test of cefpodoxime.
● Cyproheptadine Tablet IP 4 mg (Gurdaspur). Use: For relief from allergy and asthma. Reason for rejection: Variability in assay test of cyproheptadine hydrochloride.
● Loperamide Hydrochloride Capsule IP 2 mg (Gurdaspur). Use: To stop diarrhea. Reason for rejection: Failed dissolution test.
● Panzol Pantoprazole Sodium Tablets IP (Gurdaspur). Use: To treat stomach acidity. Reason for rejection: Failed dissolution (buffer stage) standard.
● Amlocare-AT Amlodipine and Atenolol Tablets IP (Gurdaspur). Use: To treat high blood pressure. Reason for rejection: Variability in assay test of amlodipine and atenolol.
● Amoxicillin and Potassium Clavulanate Tablets IP (SAS Nagar). Use: To treat bacterial infections. Reason for rejection: Quality issues in assay and dissolution.
● Fecopod Cefpodoxime Proxetil Tablets 200 mg (Dera Bassi). Use: In the treatment of infections. Reason for rejection: Failed dissolution test.
● Paracetamol, Phenylephrine Hydrochloride, and Chlorpheniramine Maleate Suspension (Jalandhar). Use: In the treatment of cold, cough, and allergy. Reason for rejection: Failure in assay test.
These medicines have been rejected for not meeting their quality standards, which is a significant concern in the health sector. After the report was issued, notices have been sent to the pharma companies, and the process of removing the related batches from the market is being expedited. The Punjab government has taken immediate action by not only banning these medicines manufactured in the state but also imposing a ban on the cough syrup that recently made headlines due to child deaths.
Across the country, 52 medicines failed to meet standards in central and state-level laboratories, while 60 failed at the state level. The highest number of substandard medicines were 49 from Himachal Pradesh, 16 from Gujarat, 12 from Uttarakhand, 11 from Punjab, and 6 from Madhya Pradesh and other states.