Mandatory Excipients Disclosure on Drug Labels from March 2026: Health Ministry

New Delhi: All drug labels will now be required to clearly disclose the qualitative details of excipients along with the date of expiry, as the Union Health Ministry has notified the Drugs (Second Amendment) Rules, 2025 through a Gazette notification. The amended rules will come into force from March 1, 2026.

According to the Gazette notification, Rule 96 of the Drugs and Cosmetics Rules, 1945, has been revised to strengthen transparency in drug labelling. “The qualitative details of the excipients used in the drug along with the date of expiry of potency, wherever applicable, shall be printed on the label of the innermost container of the drug,” the amendment states.

Rule 96 of the Drugs and Cosmetics Rules, 1945, governs the labelling requirements for all pharmaceutical products sold in India. It specifies the information that must appear on drug packaging, including the name and quantity of active ingredients, manufacturing and expiry dates, storage conditions, batch number, and directions for use. The recent amendment now mandates that the qualitative details of excipients—the inactive substances used in drug formulation—be printed on the label of the innermost container, ensuring greater transparency for healthcare professionals and patients.

The move follows recommendations of the Drugs Technical Advisory Board (DTAB), which had earlier emphasized the importance of including excipient details on labels to enhance patient safety and prescribing decisions.

The Health Ministry also noted that the changes were introduced after due consultation and are aimed at ensuring better compliance and safety standards for consumers as well as healthcare professionals.

Also Read: CDSCO Panel Approves Phase IV Protocol Amendment for Bristol-Myers Squibb’s Mavacamten Study

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CDSCO Cancels Import Licence of Mediderma Salipeel Products

New Delhi: The Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation (CDSCO) has cancelled the import registration of two cosmetic products of Satnam and Company after finding them in violation of the Cosmetics Rules, 2020, due to excessive concentration of salicylic acid beyond permissible limits.

According to the order issued by the Licensing Authority, a show cause notice had been served to the firm on April 7, 2025, for violation of Rule 39 of the Cosmetics Rules, 2020 and condition number 03 of the Registration Certificate. The notice was issued after scrutiny revealed that “the cosmetic product MEDIDERMA – SALIPEEL PLUS was found to contain salicylic acid in concentration at 25% as per the label claim and another product MEDIDERMA – SALIPEEL LIC was found to contain salicylic acid in concentration of 15% as per the list of ingredients.”

As per regulatory provisions, Salicylic acid (CAS No. 69-72-7) is allowed as a cosmetic ingredient only at restricted levels—“3% and 2% concentration for rinse-off hair products and other products respectively”—under Serial Number 98 of Annex B of IS 4707 (Part 4:2017).

The CDSCO order notes that the firm admitted in response to the show cause notice that these products are no longer part of its import activities in India.

Taking into account the violations, Dr Raghuvanshi, Drugs Controller General (India) and Central Licensing Authority, stated in the cancellation order, “Keeping in view of the violation of Rule 39 of the Cosmetics Rules, 2020 and condition number 03 of the Registration Certificate, thereby order to cancel the registration of the products containing salicylic acid, registered under RC/COS-003827 mentioned at serial Nos.76 and 81 from the date of issue of this order.”

The cancelled registration pertained to RC/COS-003827, originally granted to the firm on May 2, 2023, valid until May 1, 2028. The order has been circulated to all Zonal, Sub-Zonal and Port Offices of CDSCO, as well as State Drug Controllers, to ensure compliance.

Also Read: Sun Pharma’s Dapagliflozin, Glimepiride, Metformin FDC Fails to Secure CDSCO Panel Nod Over Safety, Utility Concerns

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Why losing weight or cutting alcohol isn’t always best after illness strikes

The health advice that keeps you from getting sick might actually harm you once you’re already ill. This counterintuitive medical reality has a new name: “Cuomo’s paradox”, coined by Professor Raphael Cuomo at UC San Diego School of Medicine after analyzing findings across numerous studies.

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Commodifying childhood: NZ children see marketing for unhealthy products 76 times a day

Media headlines, industry figures and research confirm what many parents suspect: marketing to children has not only grown in scale but also in sophistication.

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Is it too late to get a flu shot?

It’s almost spring. And while respiratory infections seem to have passed their peak many people are still getting sick.

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Bihar MBBS Interns on Strike Demanding Stipend Hike to Rs 40k

Patna: MBBS interns of the State-run Patna Medical College and Hospital (PMCH) are on a protest demanding a hike in their monthly stipend.

HT has reported that the interns on Friday threatened to intensify their protest by disrupting the out-patient department (OPD) services if their monthly stipend was not increased.

Currently, the MBBS interns at PMCH are receiving approximately Rs 20,000 as a monthly stipend. They are demanding for a hike in the stipend amount from Rs 20,000 per month to Rs 40,000 per month.

The intern doctors have claimed that the State Government had last revised their monthly internship allowance back in 2022, with an assurance to revise it again after three years. However, it has allegedly not been done so far.

Also Read: Punjab Announces Stipend Hike: MBBS Interns to Get Rs 7,000 More, Resident Doctors Get Over Rs 10,000 Raise

As per the latest media report by Hindustan Times, around 200 medical students, who are undergoing MBBS internship at the institute, along with some doctors, who expressed solidarity with the protesting medicos, wore black armbands to work on Friday to protest the State Government’s alleged delay in the revision of the monthly stipend.

The Junior Doctors have warned to intensify their protest by closing OPD services across all medical colleges of Bihar from Tuesday if there is no hike in the stipend amount. However, the demonstration held by the students on Friday was reportedly peaceful.

Issuing a statement, the JDA said, “As a next step, we may intensify our protest and close OPD services across all medical colleges of Bihar from Tuesday, which could severely impact healthcare services in the state, if the Bihar government continues to ignore our demands.”

Commenting on the matter, the interns said, “Our fight is not just for money, but for respect and survival.”

The interns are urging the State to take immediate action to revise the stipend structure and bring Bihar at par with other States. They have claimed that the amount they received as stipend is less when compared to other States. Even there is disparity with the autonomous government institutes within the state like the Indira Gandhi Institute of Medical Sciences (IGIMS) and the Centre’s All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), both in Patna.

The MBBS interns at IGIMS get Rs 30,000 as a monthly stipend, while those at AIIMS get Rs 32,000. However, the MBBS interns across 10 other medical colleges under the Bihar government get a monthly stipend of around Rs 19,600. One of the protesting students pointed out that the intern doctors in West Bengal and Odisha get Rs 43,000 and Rs 40,000 per month respectively.

“We have not received any response despite repeated appeals, including formal letters to the health minister and the health secretariat,” said the JDA, which has been pursuing the matter.

Also Read: Imphal: JNIMS MBBS Interns Launch Indefinite Protest Demanding Stipend hike

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Should I break up with my GP? Four signs that it may be time

A long-term relationship with a GP—one who knows you and your history—improves your health and even reduces your chance of dying prematurely.

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How—and when—emotional responses to music influence memory

Listening to music while doing something can make that activity more enjoyable. But listening to music after an experience or activity can make it more memorable if you have the optimal emotional response while listening to it, according to new research by UCLA neuroscientists published in the Journal of Neuroscience.

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Bombay HC Quashes 3% Reservation for Govt, Private Employees’ Children in Goa Medical Colleges

The Bombay High Court recently quashed the reservation of 3 percent seats in favour of Children of Central and State Government Employees and Persons in Private Occupations, granted under Clause 5.7 of the prospectus issued by the Director of Technical Education, Goa.

While considering the plea filed by an MBBS aspirant, who challenged the provision, the HC Division Bench comprising Justices Bharati Dangre and Nivedita P. Mehta quashed the reservation provided in the said clause.

For more details, check out the full story on the link below:

MBBS: Bombay HC quashes 3 percent reservation for Children of Govt, private employees

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NHRC takes cognizance of patient’s death at Kanpur Medical College

Taking suo motu cognisance of a media report highlighting the death of a patient due to a lack of proper treatment at Kanpur Dehat Medical College, the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has issued notices to the Chief Secretary and the Director General of Police, Uttar Pradesh, seeking a detailed report within two weeks.

The media report stated that a 25-year-old patient died allegedly due to mismanagement by the hospital and police personnel, as well as a lack of proper treatment at the medical college, as he was left unattended.

For more details, check out the full story on the link below:

NHRC issues notice to UP Govt over patient’s death at Kanpur Medical College

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