Immediate NOC for New Drug Testing

In a major move to enhance the "Ease of Doing Business," the CDSCO has overhauled the process for obtaining a No Objection Certificate (NOC) for testing drug samples.

Current Shift: Previously, the CDSCO examined product specifications—such as dosage form, product development reports, and pharmacopoeial compliance—before issuing an NOC for testing. Now, to expedite applications, the NOC for testing will be issued immediately upon receipt of the application.

Testing Protocol: Applicants must submit finalized regulatory specifications based on prevailing Pharmacopoeia standards and product-specific Quality Management Systems (QMS).

Designated Labs: Testing continues at authorized facilities, including IPC (Ghaziabad), CDTL (Mumbai), CDL (Kasauli), and NIB (Noida).

Re-testing Clause: If the CDSCO requests revisions to product specifications during the subsequent review, a fresh NOC will be issued for re-testing.

Effective Date: This circular becomes effective from June 1, 2026.

Safety Update: Doxycycline Side Effects

Following a review by the National Coordination Centre for Pharmacovigilance Programme of India (NCC-PvPI), new safety warnings have been mandated for the antibiotic Doxycycline.

Identified Risks: Clinical assessments identified a causal link between Doxycycline and various Central Nervous System (CNS) side effects, specifically restlessness, anxiety, irritability, nervousness, and dizziness.

Mandatory Labeling: The Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI) has directed all State/UT Licensing Authorities to ensure manufacturers include these CNS effects as an Adverse Drug Reaction (ADR).

Placement: These warnings must be clearly mentioned in the "Caution" section of the Prescribing Information Leaflet (PIL) and package inserts.

Streamlining Ethics Committee Registration

The Ministry of Health has proposed a draft amendment to the New Drugs and Clinical Trials (NDCT) Rules, 2019, to simplify the registration of Ethics Committees.

Omission of Provisional Registration: The amendment proposes to omit sub-rule (3) of Rule 17, effectively removing the requirement for granting "provisional registration" certificates.

Final Registration Process: Under the new proposed sub-rule (4), the designated authority will scrutinize applications (Form CT-01) and documents. If satisfied that all requirements are met, they will grant final registration in Form CT-03.

Feedback Window: This draft was published on February 2, 2026. Stakeholders and the public have 30 days to submit objections or suggestions to the Ministry (via email at drugsdiv-mohfw@gov.in) before the rules are finalized.