New Delhi, Nov. 21 -- The government is planning a sweeping overhaul of drug-advertising rules to curb self-medication, unsafe sales and rising antimicrobial resistance, according to two officials and a document reviewed by Mint. The rules come at a time when advertisements of potent antibiotics, psychotropic drugs, hormonal therapies, and unapproved imports increasingly surface on online platforms.

The draft proposal, now before the Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI), focuses on strengthening enforcement by amending the Drugs and Cosmetics Rules, 1945 and closing a major regulatory loophole. Currently, drug licences do not explicitly ban advertising-the draft proposes a ban on advertising high-risk Schedule G, H, H1, and X drugs a...