Deadly medicines

Debarshi Dasgupta in the Outlook Magazine article titled, 'Crocin for your soul' notes that the Drug Controller General of India in response to an RTI petition acknowledged that 294 unapproved fixed drug combinations (FDCS) were being sold in the Indian market for which "the rationality, efficacy and safety are not established". This large category of "irrational" medicines consist of illogical and harmful drug combinations and medicines with little therapeutic value.

The article also noted that :

• The Indian pharmaceutical market is flooded with medicines with unestablished efficacy and safety . They include commonly used analgesics, antipyretics, antibiotics and anti-inflammatory drugs.
• The Drug Controller General of India has asked state drug controllers to withdraw 294 such fixed drug combinations (FDCS) from the market and stop their production. FDC means those medicines that use more than one drug in a fixed proportion. Over 1,000 products have to be recalled.