Government of India is planning to ban the use of plastic or polyethylene terephthalate (PET) bottles for packaging pharmaceutical products like syrups and liquid orals.
The authorities consider the bottles used in packaging pharmaceutical products would potentially affect the health of users.
The decision follows advice of the country's advisory body on health-related matters, the Drug Technical Advisory Body (DTAB), to immediately ban the use of PET bottles for packaging some specific drugs.
An official was reported as saying, "Since there is not enough evidence, the DTAB has recommended that in the first phase, the use of plastic or PET containers in liquid oral formulations for primary packaging of paediatric formulations, geriatric medicines, and medicines for women in the reproductive age group and pregnant women should be phased out and banned."
According to the reports, the pharma companies are expected to get six months to implement the decision.
The drug regulator, Drugs Controller General of India, is also planning to send samples of plastic or PET bottles containing common medicines for testing the bottles.
DTAB said India has a large variation in temperatures.
"In summers, the day temperature rises to 40-45-degree centigrade and the exposure of plastic bottles to such a high temperature may result in adverse effects on the drug formulations packed plastic bottles and the high temperature may result in increased leachability," DTAB added.
"The harmful effects because of the packaging and leachability may be further magnified in the case of drug formulations."
