Himachal: Manufacturers bluntly respond to DCGI’s strictness, 300 pharma units to shut

November 13, 2025

Discontent is growing within the country’s pharmaceutical industry over the strict policies of the Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI). Drug manufacturers have now come out in protest, threatening to halt production if deficiencies are found.

Pharmaceutical industry organizations in Himachal’s industrial areas of Baddi, Solan, and Sirmaur have warned that if policy relaxations are not granted, approximately 300 pharmaceutical units could close down, jeopardizing the livelihoods of thousands of workers. Ashok Rana, State President of the Small Industries Association, said that the CDSCO is now being run in a bureaucratic and autocratic manner.

The regulatory body is making decisions without consulting the industry, and small entrepreneurs are being excluded from policymaking. He said that Himachal’s units are being unfairly targeted in risk-based inspections.

Chiranjeevi Thakur, President of the Federation of India, said that the DCGI’s policies are inconsistent with ground realities. Small and medium enterprises are producing high-quality medicines despite limited resources, but excessive inspections and administrative pressure threaten their survival. They said the regulatory body should guide the industry instead of intimidating it.

Demanding immediate intervention from the central government and the Ministry of Health, the organizations said that if the voices of small and medium pharma units are not heard, it will not be a good decision not only for Himachal but for the entire pharmaceutical industry in the country.