The Ministry of Ayush has been implementing the Pharmacovigilance Programme for Ayush drugs since 2018 to monitor the safety of Ayush medicines through surveillance, reporting and assessment of suspected adverse drug reactions, thereby promoting their safe and rational use. The Programme also monitors misleading advertisements relating to Ayush drugs to curb false and exaggerated claims and safeguard consumer interests. The Programme was incorporated under the Ayush Oushadhi Gunavatta Evam Uttpadan Samvardhan Yojana (AOGUSY) in 2021.The total number of complaints received by the Ministry regarding misleading advertisements related to Ayush drugs under Pharmacovigilance Program for Ayush drugs in last three years are attached at Annexure-1.

Further, Ministry of Ayush has launched an IT enabled online portal “Ayush Suraksha” to track the reported Misleading Advertisements (MLAs)/Objectionable Advertisements (OAs) and Adverse Drug Reactions (ADRs) in 2025. As per information received from State/UTs, the misleading advertisements reported on Ayush Suraksha Portal since its inception and action taken thereon are attached at Annexure-2.

As per the section 8 of Drugs & Magic Remedies (Objectionable Advertisements) Act, 1954, States and UTs are empowered to notify officers to enforce the provisions of Drugs & Magic Remedies (Objectionable Advertisements) Act, 1954 and Rules there under. It encompasses the provisions for prohibition of misleading advertisements and exaggerated claims of drugs and medicinal substances including Ayush medicines, which appear in the print and electronic media and Ministry of Ayush has issued advisories and gives direction to SLAs to enforce and regulate as per the provision of this Act.

Further, the following actions have been taken by the Ministry to strengthen the regulatory/advisory framework to curb misleading/objectionable advertisements-

1. Pharmacovigilance Program for Ayush drugs under Ayush Oushadhi Gunavatta evam Uttpadan Samvardhan Yojana (AOGUSY) is working through a three-tier network of a National Pharmacovigilance Centre (NPvCC), Five Intermediary Pharmacovigilance Centres (IPvCs) and 97 Peripheral Pharmacovigilance Centres (PPvCs) established across the country. To enhance public awareness regarding Ayush medicines and its objectionable advertisements, a total of 4,165 awareness programmes for Ayush professionals and Public have been conducted, benefiting 3,71,477 participants by Pharmacovigilance centres.
2. Ministry of Ayush has launched an IT enabled online portal “Ayush Suraksha” to track the reported Misleading Advertisements (MLAs)/Objectionable Advertisements (OAs) and Adverse Drug Reactions (ADRs) in 2025.
3. Ministry of Ayush issued a public notice on 08.10.2024 & 24.08.2025, informing the general public about the facts regarding Ayush drugs/medicines and urging them to avoid patronizing misleading advertisements, which was published in 100 leading newspapers across India in Hindi, English, and several regional languages.
4. Further Central Government has notified the Coordinator, National Pharmacovigilance Coordination Centre, All India Institute of Ayurveda, New Delhi, under Information Technology Act, 2000 as the nodal officer for the purpose of issuing notice to intermediaries in relation to any information, data or communication link residing in or connected to a computer resource controlled by the intermediary being used to commit the unlawful act, in respect to the Drugs and Magic Remedies (Objectionable Advertisements) Act, 1954, the National Commission for Indian System of Medicine Act, 2020 and the National Commission for Homeopathy Act, 2020.
5. Circulars and advisories with the objective of curbing the dissemination of false, misleading, or unsubstantiated information regarding Homoeopathy have been issued by The Board of Ethics and Registration for Homoeopathy (BERH), National Commission for Homoeopathy.

Annexure-1

 

 

Annexure-2

 

This information was given by Union Minister of State (I/C) for Ayush, Shri Prataprao Jadhav in a written reply in lok Sabha today.

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SR/SV/SG

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