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Regulators ask NITI Aayog to establish a Task Force to counter growing menace of counterfeit drugs
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Peethaambaran Kunnathoor, Chennai
June 14 , 2025
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The recent widespread detection of counterfeit medicines across Indian states has prompted regulatory officers to demand immediate and stringent measures to safeguard public health and restore faith in the pharmaceutical supply chain.
To tackle this escalating threat from counterfeit drug networks, regulators are now proposing a specialized Enforcement Task Force. This innovative force would be led by a senior IPS officer and staffed by technologically adept young drug inspectors, combining seasoned leadership with modern expertise.
Adding to this momentum, Sumanta Kumar Tiwari, the joint drug controller (JDC) of Jharkhand state, has formally submitted a detailed proposal to NITI Aayog, India's leading public policy think tank. His suggestion for the task force's leadership includes either a senior officer from the Intelligence Bureau (IB) or a senior IPS officer, with a strong preference for those IPS officers who have previously served as directors general (DGs) of state drug control administrations (DCAs), ensuring relevant experience at the helm.
A survey report shared with Pharmabiz by SK Tiwari indicates a concerning 50 per cent rise in counterfeit medicines within the Indian drug market. This includes popular medications such as PAN-D and Levipil 500. The report highlights the presence of a highly organized spurious drugs racket operating across India, underscoring the urgent need for stringent measures to combat this menace.
In recent months, drug regulatory officers across at least eleven Indian states, West Bengal, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand, Himachal Pradesh, Odisha, Karnataka, Gujarat, Telangana, Delhi, and Maharashtra, have significantly intensified their operations against counterfeit drugs. Their efforts have successfully exposed interstate distribution networks of falsified medicines, including those deceptively using fake QR codes. The gravity of this issue has also garnered attention and wide discussion in the Indian Parliament. As part of their ongoing investigations, regulatory sleuths have pinpointed specific locations within various cities across these states that serve as hubs for the marketing of counterfeit drugs.
Talking to Pharmabiz, Tiwari highlighted a critical issue that almost all state drug control departments are grappling with---severe shortage of drug inspectors. He urged all state governments to immediately address this staff crunch by recruiting and comprehensively training additional inspectors to ensure effective surveillance.
Simultaneously, he emphasized the need for modern technological reforms to establish transparent tracking and tracing of drugs, from their manufacturing origin to final distribution. This includes the mandatory implementation of secure QR codes on all drug packaging, which would link to a national database for instant verification. Furthermore, he advocated for a robust mechanism to track not only finished drugs but also active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs), excipients, and even drug-making machinery, alongside a system to thoroughly monitor trade.
Tiwari’s proposal to NITI Aayog emphasizes a crucial collaboration uniting state drug control departments with the central agency, the Central Drugs Standard Control Organization (CDSCO), to effectively track counterfeit medicines. He advocates for NITI Aayog to develop a policy urging the health ministry to implement modern regulatory reforms that go beyond the current Schedule M guidelines, ensuring higher standards of quality and control.
Simultaneously, he calls for the launch of a national network of awareness campaigns designed to educate both consumers and pharmacists, empowering them to report suspicious drugs to the relevant authorities.
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