Sale of Banned Medicines

• Sale of Banned Medicines refers to enforcement against manufacture, sale and distribution of drugs prohibited by the Central Government under Section 26A of the Drugs and Cosmetics Act, 1940, primarily targeting irrational Fixed Dose Combinations (FDCs).
• Regulated by CDSCO (Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation) under the Ministry of Health & Family Welfare; the Department of Pharmaceuticals sits under the Ministry of Chemicals and Fertilizers.
• Examinable for GS-II (Health governance, statutory bodies) and GS-III (Pharma sector, consumer safety).