Suspension of Chemists and tighter control on addictive medicines
Last Updated: 1 November 2026
Punjab's push: India ends over-the-counter sale of pregabalin, a drug widely abused by addicts[1][2]
-- Doctor's prescription compulsory across India from 12 Nov 2026[3]
-- Punjab first asked the Centre for this in Oct 2023[4]
520 chemists' licences suspended, ₹20.64 crore of medicines seized in 18 months[3:1]
-- 16,788 inspections, Apr 2025 to Sep 2026
Chemists are being inspected for following all rules, amid concerns about Misuse of pharmaceutical drugs by drug addicts[5]
1. Punjab's push to regulate misused medicines
| Drug | Punjab's ask | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Pregabalin | Schedule H1 (first asked Oct 2023) | Done: notified 13 May 2026; no over-the-counter sale from 12 Nov 2026[4:1] |
| Carisoprodol | Tighter control | Done: notified a psychotropic substance under the NDPS Act, 18 Feb 2026[4:2] |
| Dicyclomine | Tighter control | Already under Schedule H[4:3] |
| Gabapentin | Schedule H1 | Upcoming: draft rules issued 19 Aug 2026[4:4] |
| Zopiclone | Schedule H1 | Upcoming: draft rules issued 19 Aug 2026[4:5] |
| Flupentixol | Schedule H1 | Upcoming: draft rules issued 19 Aug 2026[4:6] |
| Tapentadol | NDPS Act inclusion | Ongoing: Centre yet to decide[4:7] |
Already achieved
- Pregabalin under Schedule H1 (G.S.R. 377(E))[3:2][2:1][4:8]
- Sale only on a registered doctor's prescription
- Chemists must keep a separate register of prescriber, patient and medicine supplied
- "Schedule H1 Drug Warning" on packs[2:2]
- Carisoprodol notified under the NDPS Act (S.O. 906(E))[4:9]
Upcoming notifications by the Centre
- Draft rules to put gabapentin, zopiclone and flupentixol in Schedule H1 (G.S.R. 745(E))[4:10]
- Draft rules to put carisoprodol in Schedule H1[4:11]
Punjab's follow-up with the Centre
- 5 Oct 2023: letter asking for pregabalin in Schedule H1[4:12]
- 30 Sep 2024: tighter regulation sought for 7 drugs (pregabalin, gabapentin, dicyclomine, tapentadol, zopiclone, flupentixol, carisoprodol)[4:13]
- Apr 2025: Health Minister Dr Balbir Singh met Union Health Minister JP Nadda and proposed adding pregabalin and tapentadol to Schedule H1[1:1]
- The Centre agreed
- Punjab FDA (Drugs Wing) also asked the Drugs Consultative Committee to add pregabalin to Schedule H1[2:3]
- Punjab's own action on pregabalin[1:2][6]
- Over ₹5 crore of pregabalin seized in 2024
- Licences of 12 firms selling it cancelled
2. Check on chemists
| Period | Suspended Chemists | Total Inspections |
|---|---|---|
| Apr 2025 to Sep 2026 (18 months)[3:3] | 520 | 16,788 |
| 2024 (till May)[5:1] | 455 | 3,623 |
| 2023[5:2] | 1,048 | 11,297 |
Apr 2025 to Sep 2026: medicines worth ₹20.64 crore seized from 214 licensed and unlicensed firms[3:4]
-- 54 court cases filed: 35 ended in convictions with fines, 650 under trial[3:5]
- 20 Oct 2026: Punjab Pharmacy Council cancelled the registration of the Mansa chemist accused in the Jhota murder[7]
- Apr 2025 to Sep 2026: 22 more licences cancelled; inspections for violations of the Drugs and Cosmetics Act, 1940 and Drugs Rules, 1945[3:6]
Restricted drugs rule[5:3]
- 8 habit-forming drugs have been notified as restricted under the state drug policy
- Special permission, in addition to a licence, is required to keep and sell such drugs
- ~27,000 chemists are in Punjab, out of which 430 have special permission to store and sell the 8 restricted drugs
REFERENCES:
https://yespunjab.com/dr-balbir-singh-meets-jp-nadda-urges-enforcement-of-stricter-regulations-on-e-pharmacies/ (Punjab Govt Press Release, 7 Apr 2025) ↩︎ ↩︎ ↩︎
https://www.pharmabiz.com/NewsDetails.aspx?aid=186102&sid=2 (Pharmabiz, 23 May 2026) ↩︎ ↩︎ ↩︎ ↩︎
https://yespunjab.com/punjab-seizes-medicines-worth-₹20-64-cr-suspends-520-chemists-licences-in-drug-law-crackdown/ (Punjab Govt Press Release, 16 Oct 2026) ↩︎ ↩︎ ↩︎ ↩︎ ↩︎ ↩︎ ↩︎
https://indianexpress.com/article/cities/chandigarh/pregabalin-to-come-under-tighter-curbs-from-nov-12-punjab-had-sought-regulation-since-2023-10944550/ (Indian Express, 31 Oct 2026) ↩︎ ↩︎ ↩︎ ↩︎ ↩︎ ↩︎ ↩︎ ↩︎ ↩︎ ↩︎ ↩︎ ↩︎ ↩︎ ↩︎
https://indianexpress.com/article/cities/chandigarh/punjab-drugs-chemists-wholesalers-suspended-9446280/ ↩︎ ↩︎ ↩︎ ↩︎
https://www.tribuneindia.com/news/punjab/state-revoked-licences-of-12-firms-over-pregabalin-nadda (Tribune, 5 Apr 2025) ↩︎
https://www.tribuneindia.com/news/bathinda/pharmacy-council-cancels-licence-of-jhota-murder-accused-ashwani-kumar/ (Tribune, 23 Oct 2026) ↩︎
