The Central Government has prohibited as many as 156 combination drugs that are often administered as painkillers, multivitamins and antibiotics, for fever and cold, among others. In a gazette notification dated August 21, 2024, the government said the use of the drug Fixed Dose Combination (FDC) of Amylase, Protease, Glucoamylase, Pectinase, Alpha Galactosidase, Lactase, Beta-Gluconase, Cellulase, Lipase, Bromelain, Xylanase, Hemicellulase, Malt diastase, Invertase, Papain is likely to involve risk to human beings whereas safer alternatives to the said drugs are available. The medicines combined in more than one drug in a single pill are FDC drugs, which are also known as cocktail drugs.
The move from the government comes after the matter was examined by an expert committee appointed by the Central Government, and the said expert committee considered the administration of FDC as “irrational”. The Drugs Technical Advisory Board also examined the said FDC and recommended that “there is no therapeutic justification for the ingredients contained in this FDC. “The FDC may involve risk to human beings.
Hence, in the larger public interest, it is necessary to prohibit the manufacture, sale or distribution of this FDC under Section 26A of the Drugs and Cosmetics Act 1940,” it said. In view of the above, any kind of regulation or restriction to allow for any use in patients is not justifiable,” the notification read. The list of banned drugs also includes drugs used for h.