Is Quetiapine legal in India?
- Legal status
- Quetiapine is a prescription-only (Schedule H) medicine, not a controlled drug: Seroquel and quetiapine products are approved by the CDSCO under the Drugs and Cosmetics Act and quetiapine is not listed under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act.
- Consequences if caught
- Quetiapine attracts no NDPS penalty; a chemist selling this Schedule H drug without a valid prescription commits a Drugs and Cosmetics Act offence, not a narcotics offence.
- If prescribed or medical
- Prescribed as an atypical antipsychotic for schizophrenia and bipolar disorder; Schedule H requires a registered practitioner's prescription for dispensing.
- Documentation
- Quetiapine is a CDSCO-approved new drug dispensed as a Schedule H prescription medicine; carried lawfully with a prescription.
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