Centre begins process to revamp drug regulation

India’s Union health ministry is planning to introduce amendments to the Drugs & Cosmetics Act 1940 to ensure that the nation remains a hub for pharmaceuticals. The new legislation will include a centralised database of drugs, which will streamline the surveillance of the manufacture, sale and distribution of drugs. The move comes after a spate of deaths linked to Indian-made drugs in the US, The Gambia and Uzbekistan.