Amoxicillin/Clavulanate Potassium

Kolkata: In a move to counter fake or spurious drugs , the state health department has published a list of 300 drugs that must mandatorily carry QR codes. The move comes in the wake of increasing cases of spurious drugs being found in circulation. State health officials said this was to increase awareness about the advantage of scanning a QR code to establish the genuineness of the medicine. According to the health ministry, the 300 shortlisted drugs are termed as scheduled H2 drugs , making it mandatory for manufacturers to print the QR code. This code should encode specifics like the unique product ID, brand/generic name, manufacturer details, batch number, manufacturing/expiry dates, and licence number. Sources said that 35% of these drugs are antibiotics. The rest include medicines for diabetes, blood pressure, hypertension, skin ointment and even kits for pregnancy tests, as well as seemingly harmless products like electrolyte sachets and sprays for sports injuries. "Even these fake or spurious drugs print QR codes to make them look original. Scanning such QR codes can help consumers find out if the drug is spurious," said a state health official. The official pointed out that on scanning the QR code of spurious drugs seized from Amata in Howrah, it showed 'could not be verified'. Testing found them to be spurious. "Some of these drugs on the list are very commonly used, with many even purchasing them over the counter. When QR coding is available, consumers should take advantage of it," said pharmacology professor Subhrojyoti Bhowmick of KPC Medical College. Some of the drugs on the list include Calpol, Allegra, Pan D, Rantac, Augmentin, Telma AM, Stamlo 5 mg, Volini spray, and Prega News 6 kit. "We urge consumers to scan the QR code while buying these medicines," said Shanka Roy Choudhury, spokesperson for the Bengal Chemists and Druggists Association. Wholesalers, however, said that it could be a humongous task for them to check every strip of medicine.

New Delhi: During the month of February, the Indian Pharmaceutical market underwent a value growth of 7.5 per cent, whereas the volumes reported a contraction of 0.2 per cent. As per the Pharmarack monthly sales analysis, the sales value for the month stood at ₹18,781 crore, reflecting a value growth of 7.5 per cent and a unit expansion of 1.5 per cent. The domestic drug market research firm has attributed the positive growth with new product introductions and price growth of the existing therapies. However, the domestic market has struggled to maintain the momentum from the previous month, following a growth of 8.7 per cent in January 2025 and 9 per cent in the year ago period. In terms of therapy areas, cardiac segment remained the top selling therapy with a value growth of 11 per cent, ending the month with a moving annual total (MAT) of ₹29, 855 crore, where JB Chemicals cilacar stood as the top selling brand with a MAT of ₹466 crore. Following cilacar, Glenmark’s ‘Telma’ and USV ‘Ecosprin Av’ occupied the second and third spot with a MAT of ₹447 and ₹446 crore at a value growth of 15 and 17 per cent respectively. The other key therapy areas such as Gastrointestinal Therapy, Anti-Diabetes therapies that occupy a major chunk of the Indian pharmaceutical market reported a value increment of 10 and 8 per cent respectively. Among the top selling brands GSK’s ‘Augmentin’ (antibiotic) and USV ‘Glycomet GP’ (anti-diabetic drug) maintained their dominance with net sales of ₹74 and ₹68 crore respectively. However, in terms of value expansion Augmentin has reported a contraction of 9.8 per cent whereas Glycomet GP experienced 4.2 per cent positive growth. Last month the two drugs had reported net sales of ₹73 crore and ₹68 crore, respectively with both undergoing a value growth of 0.7 per cent. As per the analysis, during the period among the major companies, Sun Pharma maintained its top position with net sales of ₹1,635 crore, followed by Abbott and Mankind, who generated ₹1,091 crore and ₹1,043 crore, respectively. The Pharmarack analysis shows that among the major companies Sun Pharma maintained its top position with net sales of ₹1,635 crore, followed by Abbott and Mankind, which reported net sales of ₹1,091 crore and ₹1,043 crore, during the period. By Online Bureau ,