Authenticity of Medicines in Himachal at Stake

February 27, 2026

We are proud that the pharmaceutical industry in our country has progressed significantly. India is becoming self-reliant in the field of drug manufacturing. Previously, India had to depend on imports from Western countries for even minor medicines. Now, so many new pharmaceutical manufacturing institutes have opened that India has become a pharmaceutical exporter to third-world countries in this field. This is the bright side of the picture. The dark side is that the medicines we send abroad are found to be fake, adulterated, or substandard after preliminary testing. They are immediately returned.

This is not a situation to be proud of for the country. Without authenticity in medicines, sooner or later this emerging and flourishing pharmaceutical industry will collapse. New news has come from the Central Drug Standard Control (CDSCO), which states that out of the total medicines exported last January, 215 samples were found to be substandard and were returned.

What’s more, one-third of the failed medicines were produced in Himachal Pradesh. The pharmaceutical manufacturing industry in Himachal Pradesh stretches from Baddi to Kullu. Now, information has come from the Kullu office itself that 71 of these 215 uncertified drug samples are from Himachal. The lack of raw materials for medicines was previously a problem, which was being met by imports from China, but now the question of proper research and development has arisen.

It seems that Indian investors are not willing to spend sufficient funds on this. Drug orders are paid for by hook or by crook. A few months ago, cough syrup manufacturers in India faced a difficult time when samples of the product failed overseas, reportedly leading to some deaths. Kolkata was then in the news for this issue. A recent report has also cast doubt on Himachal Pradesh companies. The issue isn’t about losing credibility or losing customers, but rather about saving patients’ lives.