This Will Be Mandatory Before Buying Medicines

The Central Government has taken a major step to improve the safety and quality of medicines in India. The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare has amended the Drug Rules, making QR codes or barcodes mandatory on vaccines, antimicrobial medicines, cancer drugs, and narcotic and psychotropic medicines.

Under the new rules, the QR code will contain important details such as the medicine name, brand name, manufacturer information, batch number, manufacturing date, expiry date, and license number. Consumers and officials can scan the code to verify the authenticity of the medicine.

Previously, this system was applicable only to the top 300 drug brands in the country. The government has now expanded it to critical medicine categories. The rule for vaccines, cancer medicines, and narcotic drugs will come into effect from July 1, 2027, while antimicrobial medicines will follow from July 1, 2028.