Telangana DCA introduces SMS system to alert pharmacies about substandard medicines

The Telangana Drugs Control Administration (DCA) on Monday (March 9, 2026) launched a bulk SMS alert system to warn pharmacies and wholesalers about drugs that fail quality standards, in an effort to strengthen drug safety and prevent the sale of substandard medicines in the State.

How does it work?

The system sends instant alerts to all medical shops across Telangana whenever a drug is declared ‘Not of Standard Quality’ (NSQ) by the Drugs Control Laboratory, enabling them to immediately stop selling such medicines. The move is aimed at ensuring that substandard drugs do not reach patients and are quickly withdrawn from circulation.

Potential risk to patients from NSQ drugs

Drugs categorised as NSQ are those that fail laboratory quality tests such as assay, disintegration and dissolution. Medicines that fail these parameters may not work effectively in treating diseases, posing a potential risk to patients.

According to the DCA, the alerts system will allow authorities and pharmacies to swiftly halt the sale and distribution of such drugs and facilitate rapid recall across Telangana. The bulk SMS platform ensures that all stakeholders, including retail pharmacies and wholesalers, receive information about NSQ drugs at the earliest.

The digital initiative is intended to strengthen transparency and enable prompt action by sales units once a drug is flagged as substandard. By immediately communicating details of NSQ drugs to pharmacies, the system is expected to help withdraw such medicines from the market before they reach a larger patient population, as per a release from DCA.