Dr. Rakesh Gupta, chairperson of the Congress Medical Cell, questioned why only two companies were penalised when more than 50 drugs were declared substandard over the past two years. He said around 10 companies were involved in supplying these faulty medicines, yet CGMSC acted only against a select few.
Dr. Gupta alleged that CGMSC has spared certain “favoured companies” despite repeated quality failures. He claimed some firms operate as a cartel, supplying medicines to CGMSC through coordinated bids.
According to him, “The corporation has penalised only a couple of companies, while many others whose drugs failed quality tests have not faced any ban. This suggests clear bias. All companies linked to substandard drugs should be blacklisted and FIRs must be filed.”
The three drugs declared substandard
According to CGMSC, the medicines found Not of Standard Quality (NSQ) include:
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Calcium (Elemental) with Vitamin D3 tablets
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Ornidazole tablets (Supplier: AG Parenterals, Baddi, Himachal Pradesh)
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Heparin Sodium 1000 IU/ml Injection IP (Supplier: Divine Laboratories Pvt. Ltd., Vadodara, Gujarat)
These drugs failed tests conducted at NABL-accredited government labs and at the Central Drugs Laboratory (CDL), Kolkata.
Growing concerns over drug quality
The Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation (CDSCO) report for September 2025 found nine medicines from Chhattisgarh failing quality parameters, while one sample was confirmed counterfeit. Nationwide, 112 drug samples were declared substandard in the same investigation.
Health experts warn that prolonged use of poor-quality medicines can lead to serious health risks, fueling calls for stronger oversight, stricter penalties, and greater transparency in procurement.
