The Central Drugs Laboratories identified 41 drug samples to be not of standard quality (NSQ), while State Drugs Testing Laboratories also found 70 drugs samples not of standard quality during the month of November, said Union Health Ministry on Friday.

As per routine regulatory surveillance activity, the list of NSQ and spurious drugs are being displayed on CDSCO portal on a monthly basis.

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The ministry said the identification of drug samples as NSQ is done based on failure of the drug sample in one or the other specified quality parameters.The failure is specific to the drug products of the batch tested by the government laboratory and it does not warrant any concerns on the other drug products available in the market, it said.

“Two drug samples have been identified as spurious drugs, out of two samples, one drug sample is picked by Bihar Drugs Control Authority and one sample picked is by CDSCO (North Zone), Ghaziabad. They have been made by unauthorized and unknown manufacturers, using brand names owned by other companies. Investigation has been initiated in the matter,” the Health Ministry said.

Increased reporting of NSQs/spurious identifications from states to central database will further help in improving availability of quality medicines in the country and beyond, it said.

The Health Ministry added the action of identifying NSQ and spurious medicines is taken on a regular basis in collaboration with state regulators to ensure that these drugs are identified and removed from the market.