Govt puts curbs on sales of Pregabalin

The Union health ministry has brought the anti-convulsant and nerve pain drug, Pregabalin, under the stricter Schedule H1 category of the Drugs Rules, 1945, to curb its growing recreational abuse, according to a government official and a notification reviewed by Mint.

- Priyanka Sharma

Pregabalin was added to the list of controlled drugs in the UK in 2019.

(BLOOMBERG)

The 20 May gazette notification said the stricter compliance rules will come into effect nationwide in 180 days.

The drug will now be sold only against a valid, stamped prescription from a registered medical practitioner, while pharmacists must maintain a separate register recording the patient’s name and address, the prescribing doctor's details, and the quantity dispensed. These records must be preserved for at least three years and will be subject to surprise inspections by drug control officers.