Between April 1, 2025 and September 30, 2026, the Punjab Drugs Wing logged 16,788 inspections, unearthing violations that led to the seizure of ₹20.64 crore worth of medicines from 214 firms, both licensed and unlicensed.
Those inspections also triggered the suspension of 520 chemists’ licences and the cancellation of 22, all under the Drugs and Cosmetics Act, 1940 and the Drugs Rules, 1945. In the same period, 54 court cases were filed, 35 of which ended in convictions and fines, while 650 cases remain pending in district courts.
The state’s push culminated in a central notification, G.S.R. 377(E) dated May 13, 2026, that added Pregabalin to Schedule H1 of the Drugs Rules, a move that will take effect on November 12, 2026. Pregabalin had previously escaped any schedule, exposing a loophole that Punjab had long complained about.
Still, officials say online pharmacies continue to sell habit‑forming drugs without a regulatory framework, and the Punjab government is pressing the Union health ministry to curb e‑pharmacy sales. The state also highlighted price disparities in generic drugs, a matter now under Supreme Court scrutiny.