Stricter norms on the anvil to check medicine misbranding

CDSCO may widen advertising ban on prescription drugs

- MANU KAUSHIK

STRICTER REGULATIONS ARE on the anvil on branding of drug formulations and to enforce the prohibition on advertising of medicines at a wider scale.

The Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation (CDSCO) is considering introducing new rules to stop the industry practice of marketing formulations containing different active ingredients under the same brand name. The regulator feels that such brand promotion would mislead consumers and create confusion regarding the therapeutic use of products.

The CDSCO is also planning to extend the ban on advertisement for prescription drugs to distributors and importers, to make it more enforceable.