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हिन्दी — Read in HindiDrugs, diagnostics and medical technology
Drug approval and trials, the pharmacopoeia, substandard medicines, generics, prices, devices and pharmacovigilance. It serves GS3 answers on science and technology in health.
Foundation note: Who regulates medicines in India, and the drug schedules
Showing 1 of 10 articles, those that changed from 1 to 31 August 2026.Show all
Indian Pharmacopoeia Commission
Copy link to Indian Pharmacopoeia CommissionPrelims
A pharmacopoeia is the official book of standards a medicine must meet for identity, purity and strength, and India's is written by the Indian Pharmacopoeia Commission (IPC).
- Setting those standards is one half of the Commission's work; the other is watching what medicines and devices do once they are in use.
Works under
- Ministry of Health and Family Welfare
Publishes
- The Indian Pharmacopoeia, the official drug standards under the Drugs and Cosmetics Act, 1940
Runs
- Pharmacovigilance Programme of India
- Materiovigilance Programme of India
What changed
4 Aug 2026BriefThe WHO South East Asia Regulatory Network (SEARN) named the IPC its Regional Centre of Excellence in Pharmacovigilance. The IPC is also the network's Technical Centre in Quality of Medicines. PIB, 4 Aug 2026: Indian Pharmacopoeia Commission named WHO-SEARN Centre of Excellence (opens in a new tab)
Show history (2 other updates)
21 Sep 2026
- A Biovigilance Programme of India, led by the Commission, will track adverse events from products used in organ and tissue transplantation.
- It is the third safety track, after pharmacovigilance for medicines and materiovigilance for medical devices.
24 Jun 2026BriefAmendment List 09 to IP 2022, in force from 10 October 2025, mandates the test for ethylene glycol and diethylene glycol in all oral liquid formulations. IP 2026 is the first pharmacopoeia with dedicated monographs for blood and blood components. PIB, 24 Jun 2026: IPC Successfully Conducts 2nd Hands-on Training on Ethylene Glycol (EG) and Diethylene Glycol (DEG) Determination in Oral Liquid Preparations by Gas Chromatography (opens in a new tab) · PIB, 24 Jun 2026: IPC Organizes National Conference on Ensuring Quality of Blood and Blood Components through IP 2026 Standards (opens in a new tab)
- Child sex ratio
- Girls per 1,000 boys in the 0 to 6 age group.
- Schedule K
- The schedule of the Drugs Rules, 1945 that exempts specified classes of drugs from certain provisions of the Drugs and Cosmetics Act, 1940.
- Fixed dose combination
- A medicine with two or more active drugs combined in a fixed ratio in a single dosage form.
- Schedule H2
- The schedule of the Drugs Rules, 1945 listing drugs that must carry a QR code or bar code for track and trace.
- Track and trace
- A mechanism that follows every unit of a product from factory to retail store.
- Virtual autopsy
- A non invasive or minimally invasive examination of a deceased person using CT and MRI without extensive dissection.
- Orphan drug
- A medicine for a rare disease, neglected because its market is small.