Government Bans 156 Fixed-Dose Combination Drugs Over Health Risks

The banned medications include antibiotics, painkillers, and multivitamins deemed unsafe after expert review.

The Union health ministry issued a notification prohibiting the manufacture, sale, and distribution of these drugs.
An expert committee and the Drug Technical Advisory Board found no therapeutic justification for the banned combinations.
The list includes popular pain-relief combinations and opioid-based painkillers.
The government previously banned 344 drug combinations in 2016, with some of the recent bans overlapping.
Safer alternatives to the banned fixed-dose combinations are available, according to the health ministry.