Fri Feb 21 07:59:46 UTC 2025: ## Karnataka Demands Nationwide Recall of Substandard Injectable Drugs

**Bengaluru, February 21, 2025** – Karnataka’s Health Minister Dinesh Gundu Rao has urged the Union Health Minister, Jagat Prakash Nadda, to initiate a nationwide recall of substandard injectable drugs manufactured by companies outside the state. This follows the discovery of nine contaminated injectable drugs, including commonly used medications like Diclofenac Sodium, Dextrose, and Calcium Gluconate, that failed sterility tests in Karnataka government laboratories between January 1st and February 16th, 2025.

This is the third time Minister Rao has raised concerns about substandard drugs from other states being sold in Karnataka. His latest letter, dated February 20th, highlights the serious risk posed by contaminated injectables, particularly given their use in acute care. The letter specifically cites the deaths of five young mothers in Ballari district due to contaminated injectables from Paschim Banga Pharmaceuticals in West Bengal.

Minister Rao’s letter details the specific drugs and batch numbers that failed testing and requests the immediate withdrawal of all products sold by the implicated companies until thorough inspections by the Central Drugs Standard Control Organization (CDSCO) confirm compliance with Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP). He further proposes a national system for sharing alerts on failed drug tests between state and central laboratories, along with a legal framework to facilitate the seizure of contaminated drugs from the supply chain. This system, he suggests, should also include alerts for doctors, pharmacists, and patients. The Karnataka Health Department has offered its assistance in establishing such a system.

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