Section 17B of the Drugs and Cosmetics Act, 1940 deals with Spurious Drugs.
Bare Text
17B. Spurious drugs.—For the purposes of this Chapter, a drug shall be deemed to be spurious,— (a) if it is manufactured under a name which belongs to another drug; or (b) if it is an imitation of, or is a substitute for, another drug or resembles another drug in a manner likely to deceive or bears upon it or upon its label or container the name of another drug unless it is plainly and conspicuously marked so as to reveal its true character and its lack of identity with such other drug; or (c) if the label or container bears the name of an individual or company purporting to be the manufacturer of the drug, which individual or company is fictitious or does not exist; or (d) if it has been substituted wholly or in part by another drug or substance; or (e) if it purports to be the product of a manufacturer of whom it is not truly a product.
Simple Meaning
Section 17B states when a drug is deemed to be spurious. It includes drugs manufactured under the name of another drug, imitations or substitutes likely to deceive, drugs bearing a fictitious manufacturer’s name, substituted products, and products falsely purporting to be made by a manufacturer.
Compliance Relevance
Section 17B is central to anti-counterfeit and supply-chain compliance. Pharmacies, wholesalers and manufacturers must purchase and supply medicines only through reliable and authorised channels, maintain invoices and verify product identity. This provision is closely connected with Section 18 prohibitions and Section 27 penalties.
Related Provisions
Section 16, Section 17, Section 17A, Section 18, Section 22, Section 25, Section 27
Official Source
Verified from the official India Code PDF of the Drugs and Cosmetics Act, 1940. Readers should re-check the latest official text before professional reliance.