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Drugs, diagnostics and medical technology
Drugs, diagnostics and medical devices, and the regulators and standards that keep them safe: drug approval and trials, the pharmacopoeia, substandard medicines, generics, prices and pharmacovigilance. It serves GS3 answers on science and technology in health.
Showing 6 of 6 subjects, those that changed from 1 July to 15 September 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
11 Sep 2026
4 Aug 2026
4 Aug 2026
- The 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.
- The WHO South East Asia Regional Office set up SEARN in 2016.
Central licensing of cell and gene therapies
Copy link to Central licensing of cell and gene therapiesPrelims and Mains
Stem cell products, gene therapies and xenografts are licensed jointly by the central and State drug regulators under the Drugs Rules, 1945, as vaccines and recombinant medicines already are, which closes the route by which clinics sold unproven stem cell cures.
What changed
3 Jul 2026New subject
- The Drugs Rules, 1945 were amended to bring stem cell products, gene therapies and xenografts under joint central and state licensing, as vaccines and recombinant DNA medicines already are.
- The amendment approves no therapy. Its practical target is clinics selling unproven stem cell cures.
- It covers CAR-T therapy, in which a patient's own T cells are engineered to attack cancer, and animal tissue products such as heart valves.
The Indian Express, 3 Jul 2026: Stem cell products, gene therapies and xenografts brought under central licensing (opens in a new tab) · PIB, 2 Jul 2026: Centre Expands Centrally License Approving Authority (CLAA) Framework to Include Cell and Stem Cell-derived Products, Gene Therapeutics and Xenografts (opens in a new tab) · The Hindu, 4 Jul 2026: Central licensing net to cover stem cell, gene therapies (opens in a new tab)
High alcohol tinctures
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A tincture is a medicine dissolved in alcohol, and those with more than 12 per cent alcohol in packs above 30 ml are Schedule H1 drugs, sold only on prescription, because they were being diverted for intoxication.
What changed
10 Jul 2026New subjectalso in news
- Formulations with more than 12 per cent alcohol in packs above 30 ml lost their licensing exemption and moved to Schedule H1, which allows sale only on prescription, after tinctures were being diverted for intoxication.
Drones for tuberculosis samples
Copy link to Drones for tuberculosis samplesPrelims and Mains
i-DRONE is the Indian Council of Medical Research's programme for carrying medical samples and supplies by drone, tested for tuberculosis sputum samples in Telangana.
What changed
12 Jul 2026New subject
- A study under the i-DRONE initiative in Yadadri Bhuvanagiri district of Telangana flew sputum samples from health centres to laboratories. Across 840 participants, diagnosis time fell from 15 days to 5, and the patient's average cost fell from about ₹9,450 to about ₹90.
The Hindu, 12 Jul 2026: Drones move TB samples, cut diagnosis costs from ₹9,451 to ₹91 in new ICMR trial (opens in a new tab) · PIB, 16 Jul 2026: Research under the ICMR’s i-DRONE initiative demonstrates the potential of drone technology to strengthen access to TB diagnostic services in difficult-to-reach areas (opens in a new tab)
Aptamer biosensors
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Aptamers are short synthetic strands of DNA or RNA that bind a target protein, cheaper and more stable than antibodies, and are the sensing element in bedside tests for conditions such as sepsis.
What changed
15 Jul 2026New subjectalso in news
- A bedside sensor detects immune proteins linked to sepsis in minutes. Aptamers, short synthetic strands of DNA or RNA that bind a target protein, are cheaper and more stable than antibodies.
Testing drugs without animals
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Animal models predict human response poorly, which is one reason most drug candidates fail in trials, and organoids and organ on chip devices are the alternatives being developed.
What changed
19 Jul 2026New subjectalso in news
- Only 10 to 14 per cent of drug candidates entering trials are approved, partly because animal models predict human response poorly. Alternatives include organoids and organ on chip devices.