BITTER PILLS: 42 substandard drugs found in J&K over 6 months
Srinagar, Nov 11:: Why do some medicines seem to make no difference at all? The answer could lie in their quality. In just the past six months, the Jammu and Kashmir Food and Drug Control Organisation (DFCO) has identified 42 drug samples as “Not of Standard Quality” (NSQ) — raising serious questions about drug safety and regulatory oversight.
According to official data for April to September 2025, available on the DFCO’s website, these failed samples span a wide range of medicines from multiple manufacturers across India. The drugs were collected from pharmacies, hospitals, and suppliers in districts including Kupwara, Jammu, Srinagar, Pulwama, and Shopian.
The most common failures were low potency, poor dissolution rates, and disintegration issues — all of which can severely affect how a drug is absorbed and performs in the body. These flaws can render medicines for infections, hypertension, acidity, or pain relief ineffective, potentially prolonging illness and undermining treatment outcomes.
In addition, eight samples were found misbranded or with labelling errors, while a total of 107 samples during the six-month period carried mislabeling or branding discrepancies.
A closer look at the monthly trend shows an alarming spike in September 2025, when 14 samples failed quality tests — the highest in the period under review. Experts suggest the increase may be due to heightened sampling and surveillance efforts.
The findings come at a time when national confidence in drug safety has been shaken by two recent pharmaceutical scandals — the toxic cough syrups that claimed the lives of children abroad, and the mislabeled ORS products that triggered panic among Indian consumers.
Manufacturers from Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Punjab, and Haryana dominate the NSQ list, though one Jammu-based company also appears multiple times. The DFCO said it has initiated prosecutions, license suspensions, and product recalls in accordance with national protocols of the Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation (CDSCO).
Pharmacovigilance experts warn that the implications of substandard medicines extend beyond treatment failures. “Such drugs erode public trust in healthcare and cause patients to spend on medicines that don’t work,” said Nasir Ganie, a PhD scholar researching drug quality at the University of Kashmir. He added that poor storage conditions and cross-state imports further exacerbate the problem in remote regions.
The DFCO has urged pharmacies to stay updated with the latest NSQ lists and immediately withdraw the listed batches from sale. Consumers have been advised to check expiry dates carefully and report any suspected substandard products to authorities.
