Of the 76,101 drug samples examined in the country last fiscal, over 2,500 did not meet the prescribed quality standards, while more than 200 were found to be spurious, the government told the Rajya Sabha on July 16.

Answering a query in the Upper House, Minister of State for Health Ashwini Kumar Choubey said the figures were provided by the drugs controllers of various states and Union Territories. He said that of the 76,101 medicine samples tested in 2018-19, 2,549 were found to be substandard and 205 were adulterated.

The minister said the government is committed to ensuring that the quality, safety and efficacy of drugs are not compromised. Asked about the steps being taken in this regard, he said the government has put in place several measures including "strengthening of legal provisions, conducting workshops and training programmes for manufacturers and regulatory officials and measures such as risk based inspections."

"Drugs manufactured in the country...whether generic medicines or branded medicines, are required to comply with the same standards as prescribed in the Drugs and Cosmetics Act, 1940 and Rules made thereunder for their quality. "The State Licensing Authorities are empowered to take action against violations of any of the requirements," the minister said.