UPSC Prelims Practice Questions — Government to tighten rules on ads for prescription drugs

Q1. With reference to the making of rules under the Drugs and Cosmetics Act, 1940, consider the following statements: Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

  1. Bringing a new class of licence-holders under the advertisement restriction in the Drugs Rules requires Parliament to pass an amending Act.
  2. The Central Government makes such rules only after previous publication of them by notification in the Official Gazette.
  3. Consultation with the Drugs Technical Advisory Board may be skipped in urgent circumstances, but the Board must then be consulted within a prescribed period after the rules are made.
  • A. 2 and 3 only
  • B. 1 and 2 only
  • C. 1, 2 and 3
  • D. 1 and 3 only

Q2. With reference to the Drugs Technical Advisory Board (DTAB), consider the following statements: Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

  1. It owes its existence to a provision of the Drugs and Cosmetics Act, 1940.
  2. Its advisory role extends to State Governments as well as to the Central Government.
  3. Its recommendations bind the Central Government, which must notify rules in exactly the form the Board recommends.
  • A. 2 and 3 only
  • B. 1, 2 and 3
  • C. 1 and 2 only
  • D. 1 only

Q3. Consider the following statements: Which of the following is correct in respect of the above statements?

  1. Restricting pharmacies from advertising prescription-only drugs that include common antibiotics is seen as a measure that can help contain antimicrobial resistance.
  2. Antimicrobial resistance arises because the human body gradually becomes tolerant to an antibiotic taken repeatedly.
  • A. Both Statement-I and Statement-II are correct and Statement-II explains Statement-I
  • B. Both Statement-I and Statement-II are correct, but Statement-II does not explain Statement-I
  • C. Statement-I is correct, but Statement-II is incorrect
  • D. Statement-I is incorrect, but Statement-II is correct

Q4. A licensed pharmacy chain argues that a ban on its advertisements of prescription drugs violates its freedom of speech and expression. Consider the following: Which of the above are grounds expressly listed in Article 19(2) of the Constitution for imposing reasonable restrictions on that freedom?

  1. Public health
  2. Decency or morality
  3. Incitement to an offence
  4. Interests of the general public
  • A. 1, 2 and 3 only
  • B. 2 and 3 only
  • C. 1 and 4 only
  • D. 2, 3 and 4 only

Q5. Consider the following statements: Which of the following is correct in respect of the above statements?

  1. The Union Government can extend the prior-sanction requirement for prescription-drug advertisements to retailers and distributors without amending the Drugs and Magic Remedies (Objectionable Advertisements) Act, 1954.
  2. The requirement of prior Central sanction for advertising Schedule H, H1 and X drugs is a provision of the Drugs Rules, 1945, framed under the Drugs and Cosmetics Act, 1940.
  • A. Both Statement-I and Statement-II are correct and Statement-II explains Statement-I
  • B. Both Statement-I and Statement-II are correct, but Statement-II does not explain Statement-I
  • C. Statement-I is correct, but Statement-II is incorrect
  • D. Statement-I is incorrect, but Statement-II is correct

Q6. With reference to antimicrobial resistance (AMR), consider the following statements: Which of the statements given above are correct?

  1. AMR refers to a situation in which disease-causing microbes no longer respond to the medicines used against them.
  2. AMR is confined to bacteria; antiviral and antifungal medicines do not face the problem.
  3. Taking antibiotics when they are not needed is one of the main drivers of AMR.
  4. A person who has never taken an antibiotic can still contract an infection that resists antibiotic treatment.
  • A. 1, 2, 3 and 4
  • B. 1 and 3 only
  • C. 2 and 4 only
  • D. 1, 3 and 4 only

Q7. Consider the following assertion: Enforcing the proposed advertising curb on pharmacies and distributors will require close coordination between the Centre and the States. Which of the following statements support the above assertion?

  1. Licences for the sale and distribution of drugs are granted by licensing authorities appointed by the State Governments.
  2. Sanction to advertise Schedule H, H1 and X drugs is to be granted by the Central Government.
  3. The Drugs Rules are framed separately by each State Government for its own territory.
  4. Each State's drug controller is the authority that sanctions advertisements of prescription drugs in that State.
  • A. 3 and 4 only
  • B. 1, 2 and 3 only
  • C. 1, 2, 3 and 4
  • D. 1 and 2 only

Q8. Suppose the draft amendment extending the advertisement restriction on prescription drugs is finalised as proposed. Consider the following statements: Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

  1. An online pharmacy holding a licence to sell drugs would need prior Central Government sanction to advertise a Schedule H1 drug.
  2. Pharmaceutical manufacturers would, for the first time, need prior Central Government sanction to advertise Schedule H drugs.
  3. A licensed retailer would need prior Central Government sanction to advertise any medicine it sells, including those outside Schedules H, H1 and X.
  • A. 1, 2 and 3
  • B. 1 only
  • C. 2 and 3 only
  • D. 1 and 2 only