- The Union Health Ministry has said Hindi and regional language will be used for drug names and expiry date during tendering process of polio drop and iron tablets used in government programmes.
- The move has been taken to curb fake, sub-standard and expired drugs and to ensure that those seeking drugs under government schemes have access to all the requisite information about them.
- The decision is based on the recommendations of Drugs Technical Advisory Board (DTAB) – highest statutory decision-making body on technical matters related to drugs. DTAB’s recommendations specially focused on iron tablets and polio drops because they are the medicines most commonly administered to children at government health centres.
- DTAB had further constituted a sub-committee to examine and give recommendations to streamline the labelling requirements of drugs. The sub-committee had recommended that name of medicines shall be printed both in English and Hindi for open market. For medicines procured by any state government agencies regional language on label of drug products along with English shall be printed.
