Archive · 25 Sep 2026
India Considers Public Platform for Drug Batch-Test Reports
India’s drug regulator is considering a website or digital platform for medicine test reports.
The reports would show whether individual batches of medicines passed quality checks.
People could use the information to learn more about medicines being sold.
The idea was discussed after five women died in Kota after receiving spurious oxytocin injections.
Currently, the public mainly sees monthly notices about medicines that fail quality standards.
The proposal may require changes to India’s drug laws.
An industry representative said publishing every report may be too difficult because there are many medicine batches and pharmacies.
He said authorities should first improve warnings and recalls for unsafe medicines.
The plan is still being considered and has not been presented as a final policy.
India’s drug regulator is considering a digital platform for public access to batch-level medicine quality-test reports.
The proposal followed a Rajasthan regulator’s representation after five women died in May following spurious oxytocin injections in Kota.
The plan would expand beyond monthly alerts identifying medicines classified as not of standard quality.
A proposed legal change could add digital disclosure requirements to the Drugs and Cosmetics Act, 1940, and its rules.
Industry representatives questioned the practicality of publishing every test report and urged stronger recalls and immediate safety alerts.
- Who
- India’s drug regulator, the Rajasthan drug regulator, pharmaceutical manufacturers, and industry representatives.
- What
- A proposal to create a digital platform publishing batch-level quality-test reports for medicines.
- When
- The proposal was discussed in the second week of September, after a related incident in May.
- Where
- India, following an incident in Kota, Rajasthan.
- Why
- To improve transparency and allow the public to access information about medicine quality; industry representatives also called for more actionable recalls and alerts.
Transparency and Public Access
Practicality and Actionable Enforcement
Publishing test reports
Transparency and Public Access
The Rajasthan drug controller said manufacturers’ pre-marketing quality-test reports should be made public so people can access information about the medicines they use.
Practicality and Actionable Enforcement
Uday Bhaskar, former director general of Pharmexcil, said universal digital disclosure may be impractical and may not provide meaningful value to consumers.
Regulatory priority
Transparency and Public Access
The proposed platform would expand transparency beyond the current system of publishing monthly not-of-standard-quality alerts.
Practicality and Actionable Enforcement
Bhaskar said authorities should prioritize immediate communication of critical safety information to retailers, wholesalers, and consumers, supported by an effective recall mechanism.
- Proposal
- A digital platform for public access to manufacturers’ medicine quality-test reports.
- Regulatory body
- The Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation and the Drugs Controller General of India are involved in considering the proposal.
- Triggering incident
- Five women died in May after being administered spurious oxytocin injections at a Kota hospital, according to the report.
- Current system
- Authorities publish monthly alerts for medicines classified as not of standard quality.
- Possible legal change
- The proposal calls for suitable provisions in the Drugs and Cosmetics Act, 1940, and its rules.
- Industry scale
- India has more than 3,000 drug companies and 10,500 manufacturing facilities supplying domestic and global markets.
- Industry concern
- An industry representative said universal disclosure would be impractical given the number of batches and more than 800,000 retail chemists.