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Govt Panel Flags Risk of Identical Drug Brand Names, Seeks Wider Stakeholder Consultation
With the latest push for stakeholder dialogue, regulatory authorities are signalling that tighter norms may soon be considered potentially leading to restrictions on using the same brand name for different formulations, especially when their therapeutic uses or compositions vary.
- By Newsdesk
- New Delhi
- Dec 07, 2025
A government-appointed drug regulatory panel has raised concerns over pharmaceutical companies marketing different medicines under the same brand name, warning that the practice could jeopardise patient safety. The Drugs Consultative Committee (DCC), during its 67th meeting held on November 17, called for a broad stakeholder consultation to address the issue.
The discussion was triggered by complaints that a company was selling multiple formulations each with distinct active ingredients using the same primary brand name with added suffixes. Officials cautioned that such branding practices can easily mislead patients, many of whom rely on brand familiarity instead of checking drug composition, increasing the risk of medication errors.
Members of the committee stressed that the matter carries serious public-health implications. They recommended gathering inputs from state regulators, pharmaceutical manufacturers, medical associations, and patient-safety experts to assess whether stronger regulatory measures are required to prevent brand-name overlaps.
The problem of similar or identical drug brand names has been raised in the past as well, with experts warning that “look-alike, sound-alike” names can result in wrong prescriptions or dispensing mistakes. The issue is particularly concerning in India, where prescriptions often mention brand names without listing the underlying formulation.
With the latest push for stakeholder dialogue, regulatory authorities are signalling that tighter norms may soon be considered potentially leading to restrictions on using the same brand name for different formulations, especially when their therapeutic uses or compositions vary.