Govt moves toward ban on ads for powerful prescription drugs

An expert committee under India’s apex drug regulator has urged amendments to existing drug rules to halt the advertising of prescription-only and high-risk medicines.

During a meeting last month, the Drug Consultative Committee of the Central Drugs Standards Control Organisation (CDSCO) expressed concern over the widespread and largely unregulated promotion of potent drugs across digital platforms.

The medicines in question include life-saving injectables, antibiotics, hormonal therapies, psychotropic drugs, anti-cancer treatments and narcotics.

According to meeting minutes reviewed by India Today, current drug-licence conditions already prohibit manufacturers from advertising medicines listed under Schedules H, H1 and X without prior approval from the Central government.

However, the rule does not explicitly cover licensees involved in the sale or distribution of these drugs, creating a loophole that marketers have been exploiting, a CDSCO source said.

‘ONLINE PHARMACIES USING SOCIAL MEDIA TO PUSH ADS’

The issue has become especially acute on e-pharmacy platforms, where state regulators have repeatedly flagged aggressive promotions of



prescription-only medicines, often accompanied by heavy discounts intended to lure customers.

Officials say these promotions have spread across social-media channels as well, amplifying the dangers of antibiotic misuse and self-medication—already serious public-health challenges.

The trend has even prompted local chemists to send unsolicited marketing messages.

Complaints have recently surfaced about promotional texts for new GLP-1 weight-loss medications such as Mounjaro and Wegovy, which are meant to be dispensed only on the prescription of specialist doctors.

To curb rising antibiotic misuse, the CDSCO is considering making its approval mandatory for launching any antibiotic in India, including those with already-approved active pharmaceutical ingredients.

This push comes amid intensifying concern over antimicrobial resistance both globally and within the country.

The drug regulator’s expert panel has also recommended bringing all antimicrobials under the “new drug” definition in the New Drugs and Clinical Trials Rules, 2019 which means every antibiotic – even those approved earlier – could need CDSCO approval for manufacturing and marketing.