The Telangana Drugs Control Administration (DCA) on Monday (March 9, 2026) launched a bulk SMS alert system to warn pharmacies and wholesalers about drugs that fail quality standards, in an effort to strengthen drug safety and prevent the sale of substandard medicines in the State.
How does it work?
The system sends instant alerts to all medical shops across Telangana whenever a drug is declared ‘Not of Standard Quality’ (NSQ) by the Drugs Control Laboratory, enabling them to immediately stop selling such medicines. The move is aimed at ensuring that substandard drugs do not reach patients and are quickly withdrawn from circulation.
Potential risk to patients from NSQ drugs
Drugs categorised as NSQ are those that fail laboratory quality tests such as assay, disintegration and dissolution. Medicines that fail these parameters may not work effectively in treating diseases, posing a potential risk to patients.
