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Time of India
30-06-2025
- Health
- Time of India
Drug labelling norms under review: Expiry date readability flagged; govt panel to examine packaging reforms
India's top drug regulator has set up a sub-committee to revamp labelling norms on medicinal products after receiving consumer complaints about illegible expiry dates and glossy packaging that hampers readability. The Drugs Consultative Committee (DCC), under the Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation (CDSCO), took up the issue earlier this month and recommended the formation of a sub-committee to examine labelling and packaging issues in detail. The panel will also explore the need for regulations covering suppliers of packaging materials and printed foils under the Drugs Rules, 1945. 'Various concerns have been raised by consumers from time to time like letters of expiry date are too small and hence it's important to look at this matter,' a government official told ET. The Drugs Consultative Committee (DCC), under the Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation (CDSCO), has decided to set up a sub-committee to examine labelling and packaging issues of medicinal products in detail, following a rise in consumer complaints about unreadable expiry dates and glossy medicine strips. The sub-committee will also assess the feasibility of introducing regulatory provisions for packaging material and printed foil suppliers under the Drugs Rules, 1945. In a move aimed at enhancing accessibility and patient safety, the government is also considering implementing voice-assisted QR codes and braille cards on medicine strips. This initiative, officials said, is intended to improve transparency and make drug packaging more patient-friendly. A separate committee will be constituted to evaluate the feasibility of these digital upgrades, the report added. Stay informed with the latest business news, updates on bank holidays and public holidays . AI Masterclass for Students. Upskill Young Ones Today!– Join Now
Time of India
30-06-2025
- Health
- Time of India
Hard to read drug labels may soon be loud and clear
Finding it hard to check expiry date and other details on a medicine strip due to tiny prints on a shiny surface? Help is on the way. India's drug regulator has formed an expert committee to revamp labelling of medicinal products to make it easy to read, people familiar with the development told ET. The move follows increasing consumer complaints, particularly over difficulty in locating the expiry date, and glossy and shiny surfaces of medicine strips that make labels hard to read. 'Various concerns have been raised by the consumers from time to time, like the letters of expiry date are too small, and, hence, it's important to look at this matter,' a government official said. There have also been calls for a universally recognised symbol on generic medicines to help distinguish them from branded ones. The matter was taken up by the Drugs Consultative Committee (DCC) under the Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation (DCC) this month. The panel decided to constitute a sub-committee to look into the matter in detail and submit a report. It recommended including a packaging expert in the sub-panel. The sub-committee would also evaluate the feasibility of incorporating suitable regulations for suppliers of packaging materials such as printed foils under Drugs Rules, 1945. The government is also considering voice-assisted QR codes and braille cards on medicine strips to make them patient friendly, bring transparency and improve patient safety , people cited above said. A committee will soon be constituted for the same, they added. The regulator may consider mandating that medicine strips should contain 10 units and integrate QR codes with voice assistance features, sources said.
Time of India
29-06-2025
- Health
- Time of India
Clear & Legible: Labelling on drug packets to get a booster
Do you find it difficult to read the details on a medicine strip, with the surface being too glossy and shiny. Here's a good news. India's regulatory body has constituted an expert committee to revamp labelling of medicinal products so as to make it clear and easy to read, people in the know told ET. The decision has been taken following grievances and concerns of consumers with regard to labelling of medicinal products. Some of the concerns raised were-unable to find the expiry date, the surface of the medicine strip being too shiny to read the details. "Various concerns have been raised by consumers from time to time like letters of expiry date are too small and hence it's important to look at this matter," said a government official. The consumers have also felt the need to have a universally recognised symbol on the generic medicines to distinguish it from branded medicines. The matter was taken up by the Drugs Consultative Committee (DCC) under the Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation (DCC) this month wherein it was decided to constitute a sub-committee to look in to the matter of packaging issue in detail and submit its report. The DCC also recommended to include one packaging expert in the sub-committee. Further, the sub-committee shall also evaluate the feasibility of incorporating suitable regulation for suppliers of packaging materials/ printed foils, etc. under Drugs Rules, 1945. The government is also considering voice assisted QR codes braille card on medicine strips to make them patient friendly, bring transparency and improve patient safety. A committee will soon be constituted for the same too, people in the know told ET.
News18
27-06-2025
- Health
- News18
Braille, Voice-Enabled QR Codes & More: Govt To Set Up Panel To Revamp Medicine Labelling
Last Updated: The concerns submitted to the govt include issues like expiry dates being printed on easily torn paper, reflective surfaces making labels unreadable, and text size being too small. Get ready for voice-assisted QR codes, braille cards, and clearer labels on your medicine strips — the central government is planning a major overhaul of drug packaging to make medicines more patient-friendly, News18 has learnt. To address consumer complaints about the labelling of medicinal products and to make medicine packaging more inclusive for the visually impaired, the drug regulatory agency, Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation (CDSCO), is set to constitute an expert panel. Acting on recommendations from the Drug Consultative Committee (DCC), the CDSCO will now form a sub-committee to examine packaging-related concerns in detail. 'DCC was apprised that various concerns have been received from the consumers in their public grievances from time to time with respect to the labelling of medicinal products," said the government document sent to states and union territories for execution, seen by News18. The concerns submitted to the central government include issues such as expiry dates being printed on easily torn paper, reflective surfaces making labels unreadable, and text size being too small. The concerns submitted to DCC – which discussed the matter in the meeting dated 17 June – also include inconsistent printing of medicine names (only at one place on the entire strip) and the need for a universal symbol to clearly distinguish generic medicines from branded ones. 'The proposed sub-committee will discuss these concerns in detail," said the government official, while adding the panel has asked to include at least one packaging expert and will evaluate whether new regulatory standards are needed for suppliers of packaging materials under the Drugs Rules, 1945. 'The industry is expected to create a pushback as any change in labelling leads to heavy capital expenditure on their end. However, the final move will be decided by the proposed panel." Blind friendly medicine packaging In a related move to improve patient convenience, the DCC also recommended measures to help blind and visually impaired individuals identify medicines. Discussing the proposal regarding the problems faced by the blind or visually impaired people in reading medicines, tablets or capsule strips, DCC was apprised that a similar deliberation was done earlier by the expert panel, which had earlier recommended constituting a panel to examine the issue. Accordingly, that panel had submitted its report. The same report was discussed in the meeting, and now, it will be made public and open for comments, along with the two new suggestions. These include adding braille cards to secondary packaging of medicines containing more than 10 units, and integrating QR codes with voice-assistance features on drug labels. 'Secondary packaging containing more than 10 units of medicines may have some braille cards for giving to such population as and when required," said the first suggestion, while adding the second recommendation stating, 'Medicines can have a QR code linked with voice assistance." Experts believe that, if executed, these developments will mark a significant step towards improving patient safety, accessibility, and transparency in India's pharmaceutical packaging practices. First Published: June 27, 2025, 10:06 IST
Time of India
26-06-2025
- Health
- Time of India
Govt to bring in barcodes to fight fake drug menace
In a bid to weed out spurious drugs , manufacturers of antimicrobials, narcotic drugs, vaccines, and psychotropic substances will have to mandatorily affix barcodes or quick response (QR) codes on their product labels. The Union health ministry is set to shortly amend the drug rules for implementing this measure, people in the know told ET. The proposal to affix barcodes has been in the works for long, though it faced opposition from various stakeholders. A consultative meeting was held last month wherein the stakeholders raised their concerns. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Has Toyota Done It Again? The New RAV4 Is Finally Here (Take A Peek) FrequentSearches | Search Ads Learn More Undo However, the Drugs Consultative Committee (DCC) under the Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation (CDSCO) in a meeting this Tuesday deliberated and opined that the stakeholder concerns do not appear to be "substantial" in public interest and agreed to appropriately amend the Drugs Rules, 1945, according to the minutes of the meeting a copy of which was seen by ET. Live Events Earlier, the drug regulator had included a few cancer drugs to mandatorily have barcodes for validating their authenticity following incidents of refilling of expensive anti-cancer drugs by criminals with counterfeits. Criminals in collusion with hospital pharmacies were found refilling empty vials of expensive anti-cancer medicines with counterfeit drugs. These fake drugs were then mixed with genuine stocks and sold to unsuspecting cancer patients, putting their lives at risk. The regulator had made it mandatory for companies to have barcodes on the top 300 brands, so that information such as manufacturing licence and batch number can be accessed upon scanning. These drugs include widely-used analgesics, pain relievers, anti-platelet, vitamin supplements, blood-sugar lowering medicines and contraceptive tablets. "The move was to ensure authenticity of drugs and enable tracing," said a government official, on the condition of anonymity. Brands identified by the National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority include Dolo, Saridon Fabiflu, Ecosprin, Limcee, Sumo, Calpol, Corex syrup, Unwanted 72, and Thyronorm. They were shortlisted based on their moving annual turnover value based on data from market researcher Pharmatrac. The government had been trying to introduce QR codes since 2011. It however couldn't proceed with the plan following concerns by pharma companies and lobby groups, before it was eventually implemented in 2023.
