India’s health ministry has prohibited the manufacture, sale, and distribution of sixteen fixed-dose combination drugs, effective immediately, citing a lack of therapeutic justification and risks that outweigh any benefits. The move, under Section 26A of the Drugs and Cosmetics Act, follows a Supreme Court–directed review by an expert committee that assessed the combinations as irrational or potentially harmful. The banned list spans analgesics, antispasmodics, antibiotics, and dermatological preparations—including paracetamol paired with lignocaine or dicyclomine, and amoxicillin combined with serratiopeptidase.

Viewed from New Delhi, the decision reinforces a years-long push to rationalise medicine use, with the Drugs Technical Advisory Board scrutinising formulations whose fixed ratios of active ingredients may cause disproportionate side effects or offer no added efficacy. Among the prohibited items are aloe-vera skincare blends and gliclazide with chromium picolinate. State drug controllers have been instructed to enforce the ban, and manufacturers are expected to comply immediately.

In Jakarta, the agriculture ministry has separately warned farmers against the off-label use of paracetamol and vitamin B complex as plant growth promoters, after a viral video showed chilli growers applying the drugs to cut costs. Officials note there is no scientific basis for the practice; uncontrolled use could leave pharmaceutical residues in soil and food chains, disrupt microbial ecosystems, and create economic waste given the unproven effectiveness. The ministry is advocating only officially registered agricultural inputs, while acknowledging that high fertiliser prices and rupiah volatility are driving farmers toward unverified alternatives.

Tehran health authorities, meanwhile, have published an updated list of nineteen goods and services—including processed meats, sugary drinks, fried snacks, tobacco products, and tattoo services—whose advertising is banned across all media. The measure, rooted in legislation linking such products to non‑communicable disease burdens, has never been fully enforced, according to the director‑general of community nutrition. Parallel to this, Iran’s Food and Drug Administration has flagged unauthorised face masks and whitening creams containing potential hydroquinone or steroids, warning of chemical burns and skin depigmentation, and asking citizens to report sightings.

These concurrent regulatory actions underscore a shared commitment to evidence‑based safety, though implementation remains uneven. India’s immediate ban demands rigorous market surveillance; Indonesia plans no official recommendation without comprehensive field studies; and Iran continues to grapple with inconsistent enforcement of its advertising restrictions. The next milestones will be reports from state‑level drug controllers in India and the outcome of further toxicological assessments in Indonesia and Iran.