Karnataka has rolled out, what is being described as, the country’s first technology-driven surveillance system to monitor the pharmaceutical market, enabling real-time detection of substandard medicines and tighter regulation of narcotic and psychotropic drugs.

Health Minister Dinesh Gundu Rao, who launched the new digital platforms in Bengaluru on Thursday, said the initiative would strengthen drug quality control, improve transparency in the supply chain and protect patients.

The State Food Safety and Drug Administration (FDA) has introduced two separate digital systems —  one to automatically block the sale of medicines found to be Not of Standard Quality (NSQ) and another to track dispensing of drugs covered under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act.

Mr. Rao said ensuring the quality of medicines in the market was a critical responsibility, but tracing substandard drugs after they entered circulation had long been a challenge.

“When medicines of poor quality enter the supply chain, it is difficult to identify and stop their movement immediately. About a year ago, I had written to the Union Minister requesting a national framework. As that has not materialised, Karnataka has taken the initiative and introduced this system,” he said.

Real-time lock on NSQ drugs

According to the department, around 450 drug samples on average are found every year to be NSQ, meaning they fail to meet prescribed legal and quality standards.

Such medicines cannot be sold and must be recalled from manufacturers, wholesalers and stockists. In 2025-26, medicines worth around ₹1.85 crore were recalled after being identified as substandard.

Under the new portal, once a drug batch is declared NSQ, it will be uploaded into the system and immediately locked, preventing any further sale or transaction.

Alerts will be sent instantly to wholesalers and distributors across the State. The Minister said nearly 15,000 wholesalers have already been registered on the platform.

Data on stock availability

The portal will also provide real-time data on stock availability, stock-in-hand, and quantities returned to suppliers, helping regulators track compliance and speed up recalls. The move would significantly reduce the risk of poor-quality medicines reaching patients, he said

Tighter monitoring of NDPS medicines

The second portal focuses on medicines regulated under the NDPS Act, which are vulnerable to misuse and diversion.

Retailers dispensing such medicines will now be required to mandatorily upload and verify patient details, doctor details and prescription information before sale.

Mr. Rao said the system would help identify unusual patterns such as repeated prescriptions issued by the same doctor or suspicious purchases by the same person.

The mechanism was intended to ensure responsible dispensing, prevent misuse of controlled medicines and strengthen accountability at the retail level.

Shift to data-driven regulation

The two initiatives mark a shift towards digital and data-driven regulation in the pharmaceutical sector, where authorities can act faster against unsafe medicines while also checking abuse of prescription drugs.

Food Safety and Drug Administration Commissioner Srinivas said Karnataka’s model could become a template for wider adoption.