India's top drug regulator has launched a consultation with stakeholders on a proposal that may dramatically alter the way in which pharmaceutical companies use existing brand names on different treatments. The change is intended to avoid prescription errors and misunderstanding among doctors, chemists and patients who use the same brand name for items having distinct active medicinal ingredients. 

In a public notice published by the Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation (CDSCO), the Directorate said it has received several concerns on the prevalent practice of 'brand name expansions' by pharma businesses. The matter was later examined in the 67th Drugs Consultative Committee (DCC) meeting held on November 17, 2025 where members expressed concern about the possible public health repercussions. 

The regulator said in a notice that it had received a representation alleging that a pharmaceutical business was marketing numerous formulations of drugs with the same established brand name but with different suffixes or extensions, although they included distinct active ingredients. "Such branding techniques could mislead consumers and even healthcare professionals, resulting in misuse of medicines and dosage errors, the DCC said. 

The committee recognised the complexity of the problem and advised a deeper consultation with stakeholders before any regulatory decision is taken. The recommendations of the DCC have now been placed on the website of CDSCO inviting comments from all the stakeholders including pharmaceutical producers, healthcare professionals, industry bodies, academics and public. 

Stakeholders are invited to share their suggestions by emailing to enforcecell.div@cdsco.nic.in by 17th July, 2026. The survey will allow the agency to review several legal, commercial and patient safety aspects prior to developing any policy on brand name expansions. 

The recommendation has emerged at a time when there is greater focus on drug safety and rational use of drugs in India. Experts have long been concerned about drugs with similar or extended brand names but distinct pharmacological compositions, as they might result in dispensing errors, prescribing blunders and confusion for patients, especially in busy clinical environments. 

If enacted, the proposed regulatory framework may compel pharmaceutical companies to re-evaluate their branding strategy for existing and future drugs, while bolstering CDSCO’s overall goal of enhancing patient safety and increasing transparency in India’s pharmaceutical sector.