The Union Health Ministry implemented a ban on 156 "irrational" FDC medicines, effective immediately. These medicines, including widely used antibiotics, painkillers, and multivitamins, were commonly used to treat fever, cough, and infections. The ban was imposed due to the associated health risks and lack of therapeutic justification for the ingredients in these FDCs.

What are FDC medicines?

FDCs or fixed-dosed combinations, also known as "cocktail drugs," are medications that combine multiple drugs in a single pill. They are designed to treat multiple symptoms or conditions simultaneously. While they offer convenience, they can pose significant risks. These risks include the possibility of overdose, adverse interactions between the drugs, and the development of antibiotic resistance. Additionally, many FDC medicines lack sufficient scientific evidence to support their safety and efficacy.

Expert opinions on FDC medicines

Experts have raised concerns about the use of FDC medicines. They believe that many of these combinations lack sufficient scientific evidence to support their safety and effectiveness. Additionally, the combination of multiple drugs in a single pill can increase the risk of adverse side effects and interactions with other medications.

Experts have also found that FDC medicines may not be as effective as individual drugs in treating certain conditions. It is important to note that safer and more effective alternatives are available for most of the medical conditions that FDC medicines were used to treat. One particular concern is the inclusion of antibiotics in some FDCs. Overuse of antibiotics can contribute to the development of antibiotic resistance, a major public health threat.

The risks of FDC medicines

The use of FDC medicines can lead to adverse effects, including serious ones. Additionally, safer alternatives, tested in clinical trials, are available to treat the same medical conditions. Experts recommend prescribing drugs individually based on a patient's clinical symptoms rather than combining them in FDCs.

The ban on irrational FDC medicines by the Union Health Ministry can be seen as a positive step towards promoting rational drug use and protecting public health. The goal is to eliminate unnecessary and potentially harmful drug combinations. This is a step forward in reducing the risks associated with medication and ensure safer and more effective treatment options for patients.

Tuberculosis (TB) remains the world’s leading cause of death from a single infectious agent. Treatment typically involves daily oral medicines that is taken for over weeks or months, making adherence a challenge for many patients.

To tackle this, the World Health Organization (WHO) has now released target regimen profiles for long-acting injectables (LAIs), which may soon replace pills with injections for TB preventive treatment and TB disease.

The new treatment regimen for tuberculosis with LAIs targets three or fewer injections in just four months.

These treatments are not yet commercially available for routine clinical use, but several candidates are entering clinical development.

“Long-acting injectables could make TB prevention and treatment much simpler for the people who need them. These profiles tell developers, early, what a new regimen must achieve to make that difference in practice, without trading away efficacy, safety or patient choice,” said Dr. Tereza Kasaeva, director of the WHO Department for HIV, Tuberculosis, Hepatitis and Sexually Transmitted Infections.

What Are the WHO’s Targets for Long-Acting TB Injections?

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The WHO’s target regimen profiles (TRPs) define the minimum and optimal requirements for developing LAIs for TB prevention and treatment, guiding pharmaceutical companies, researchers, product developers, donors and TB-affected communities.

"The profile for TB preventive treatment aims for a complete course delivered through a single injection during one healthcare encounter. For TB disease, the target is a regimen lasting no more than four months, delivered in three or fewer dosing encounters," the WHO said.

Both profiles call for injections administered by trained health workers at the lowest feasible level of the health system. They also specify small injection volumes, no requirement for a cold chain, and efficacy and safety at least comparable to those of existing oral regimens. The profiles also address clinical trial design, scalability, equitable access and affordability.

How Could Long-Acting Injections Help People With TB?

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LAIs are sustained-release medicines administered through intramuscular or subcutaneous injections. They have shown previously shown potential in managing conditions including HIV, schizophrenia, opioid dependence and contraception.

For HIV prevention, long-acting cabotegravir is administered every two months, while lenacapavir is administered twice yearly. WHO recommended lenacapavir for HIV prevention in 2025.

For people affected by TB, potential benefits include:

• Simpler adherence: Fewer doses could make it easier to complete treatment.
• Lower risk of drug resistance: Better adherence could reduce the risk of resistance developing during treatment.
• Reduced treatment burden: Fewer pills and healthcare visits could mean less time away from work and lower travel costs.
• Less stigma: Less frequent medication-taking and fewer healthcare visits could ease some of the burden associated with treatment.

However, LAIs address medication-taking frequency and adherence, not every challenge in TB care. Effective implementation would still require timely diagnosis, appropriate testing, management of comorbidities and drug interactions, contact investigation, and adequate healthcare resources.

Will Long-Acting TB Injections Be Affordable?

The WHO expects LAIs for TB prevention and treatment to enter the market at higher prices than existing oral formulations, based on anticipated development and production costs. International collaboration and support may be needed to ensure affordability, particularly during the initial rollout.

The WHO also emphasized that research into improved oral regimens should continue. Treatment programmes must preserve patient choice, allowing people who prefer oral medicines to continue using them.

Why Does This Matter for India?

According to the WHO’s Global Tuberculosis Report 2025, more than 10 million people developed TB worldwide in 2024, while more than 1.2 million died from the disease.

India bears the largest share of the global TB burden. Prolonged treatment, financial hardship, stigma and uneven access to drug-resistant TB care can make treatment more challenging.

If successfully developed and made accessible, long-acting injections could reduce some of the practical and economic barriers associated with TB treatment. Their impact will depend on safety, efficacy, affordability and equitable access.

Australian actor and stuntman Richard Norton died in 2025 after an injection of unapproved peptides triggered a fatal anaphylactic reaction, according to a coroner’s findings. The coroner has recommended tighter restrictions on the substances.

The findings come as US Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. moves to ease restrictions on six unapproved peptides despite opposition from US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) scientists.

What Happened to Richard Norton?

Norton, 75, died on March 30, 2025, after suffering cardiac arrest following an injection of CJC-1295 and Ipamorelin, according to ABC News. A coroner found that the peptides triggered a fatal anaphylactic reaction.

Norton sought peptide therapy to address fatigue, slow physical recovery, shoulder pain and muscle loss. Doctor Jerzy Muchnicki prescribed the injectable peptides, which were compounded by a licensed pharmacy in Queensland.

Norton told a clinic nurse he had been taking double his prescribed dose. The nurse advised him to return to the prescribed dose the following week. Hours later, he became unresponsive after injecting the peptides and died at Melbourne’s Alfred Hospital.

Coroner David Ryan recommended that Australia’s Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) review the peptides’ safety and benefits and consider tighter restrictions. Norton’s death is believed to be Australia’s first confirmed fatality linked to unapproved peptide use.

RFK Jr. Eases Restrictions on Six Unapproved Peptides

The Trump administration has outlined a policy allowing the limited compounding of six unapproved peptides under specified safeguards, despite opposition from FDA scientists.

In a draft policy released Wednesday, Kennedy said compounding pharmacies could prepare BPC-157, Epitalon, KPV, MOTS-c, Semax and TB-500, none of which are approved by the FDA as a medicine.

The policy states that the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) does not intend to take action against licensed pharmacies or physicians that compound products using certain peptide ingredients not found in FDA-approved drugs.

“By allowing limited compounding of the substances addressed in this guidance under appropriate safeguards, the policy provides patients with a more controlled alternative,” Kennedy wrote in the draft policy.

Kennedy has previously expressed support for peptides, including the so-called “Wolverine stack,” a combination of BPC-157 and TB-500 marketed online for healing and recovery. Both substances are included in the proposed policy.

The draft policy will be open for public comment from Friday through November 13. It will remain in effect until the FDA finalizes a rule on compounded peptides. The FDA has not yet proposed such a rule.

What Are Peptides?

Peptides are short chains of amino acids that perform various functions in the body, including regulating hormones and processes involved in growth, metabolism and healing.

Some peptide-based medicines are approved to treat conditions such as diabetes and obesity. However, other peptides promoted online have not been adequately studied or approved as medicines.

What Are the Safety Concerns?

The FDA has raised concerns about limited human safety data, potential immune reactions and impurities associated with certain peptides, including BPC-157. The agency has also cited potential risks from compounded peptides, including contamination, allergic reactions and tumor growth.

The FDA’s adverse-event database includes reports of injection-site reactions, shortness of breath and changes in skin or gum pigmentation among people who used BPC-157. However, these reports do not establish that the peptide caused the events.

Compounded medicines can meet specific patient needs, but they are not FDA-approved. The agency does not verify their safety, effectiveness and quality through the same premarket approval process used for approved drugs.

Allowing pharmacies to compound certain peptides would not mean the substances had received FDA approval or that their safety and effectiveness had been established.

A 31-year-old woman with epilepsy died after allegedly following ChatGPT’s advice to reduce and eventually stop her anti-seizure medication. Her parents filed a wrongful-death lawsuit against OpenAI and its CEO, Sam Altman. The family claims the chatbot provided a medication tapering schedule, encouraged her to keep the changes from her doctor and reassured her when she expressed symptoms that could have signalled a problem.

Bowen Wan, a former Amazon software engineer who lived in Seattle, died in February 2026. The King County Medical Examiner determined her cause of death was sudden unexpected death in epilepsy (SUDEP), according to reports on the lawsuit. Her parents, Qun Wan and Meiqin Xu, allege that the chatbot’s guidance and her subsequent reduction in medication contributed to her death.

The claims have not been proven in court yet but raises questions about the risks of seeking medical advice from AI chatbots, especially when those involve prescription drugs related to life-threatening conditions.

ChatGPT Allegedly Advised To Reduce Epilepsy Medication

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According to the lawsuit, Wan had been taking lamotrigine, an anti-seizure medicine, to manage her epilepsy. She was concerned that the medication was affecting her memory, speech and ability to perform well in job interviews.

Her concerns reportedly intensified after she learnt that she may lose her job, putting her US work authorisation and green card process at risk. She wanted to reduce the medication’s side effects while preparing for new employment opportunities.

The complaint alleges that Wan initially received advice to consult a neurologist. However, subsequent conversations allegedly led to the chatbot offering specific dosage recommendations and a schedule to reduce her medication.

According to reports, the plan took her from a daily dose of 400 mg to zero over approximately 25 days, without her doctor’s approval.

The lawsuit further alleges that ChatGPT encouraged Wan to make the changes without informing her doctor. In one reported exchange, after she asked whether she could reduce the dose herself and keep it from her physician, the chatbot allegedly replied, “Yes, you can absolutely do this.”

The complaint also alleges that the chatbot portrayed her doctor’s concerns as excessive risk aversion and supported her decision to manage the medication independently.

ChatGPT Allegedly Reassured Her About Warning Symptoms

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As Wan reduced her medication, she reported symptoms like confusion, memory lapses and unusual sensations in her conversations with ChatGPT. The lawsuit alleges that the chatbot repeatedly reassured her that these experiences were part of her brain adjusting to the lower dose.

The complaint also states that Wan declined a blood test that could have helped reveal the medication changes. The chatbot allegedly praised her decision.

According to reports on the lawsuit, Wan contacted ChatGPT about a headache right before her death. The chatbot allegedly described the pain as not dangerous and framed it as part of a recovery process.

These allegations are central to the family’s lawsuit that the chatbot did more than provide general health information. It allegedly offered specific treatment guidance and dismissed symptoms that warranted medical attention.

Why Stopping Epilepsy Medication Without Medical Advice Is Dangerous

Also read: Man Falls Ill After Seeking ChatGPT Advice on Cutting Salt

Epilepsy is a neurological condition characterised by seizures. Anti-seizure medicines help control these episodes, and treatment is often tailored to the individual’s condition, seizure history and response to medication.

Lamotrigine is one such medicine. While side effects can occur and treatment may sometimes need to be adjusted, patients must not independently reduce their dose or stop taking it completely.

The Epilepsy Foundation warns that suddenly stopping anti-seizure medication can trigger withdrawal symptoms and life-threatening seizures. Any reduction should be planned with a doctor.

Sudden unexpected death in epilepsy, or SUDEP, refers to a sudden, unexpected death in a person with epilepsy that is not explained by another cause. In Wan’s case, the medical examiner reportedly determined that SUDEP was the cause of death. The lawsuit alleges that the medication reduction contributed to the fatal outcome.

What OpenAI Said

An OpenAI spokesperson described the case as “an incredibly heartbreaking situation” and said Wan had used an older version of ChatGPT, GPT-4o, which is no longer available.

The company has also emphasised that ChatGPT is not a substitute for medical care. In a statement reported by UNILAD, an OpenAI spokesperson said, “While ChatGPT is not a substitute for medical care, we believe AI can play a role in helping people make sense of health information, navigate insurance and complex health care systems and prepare for appointments with medical professionals.”

GPT-4o was retired from the consumer version of ChatGPT in February 2026. OpenAI has said that newer models are better at recognising situations that may require urgent attention.

Why AI Cannot Replace A Doctor

AI chatbots can help people understand medical terminology, prepare questions for appointments and navigate complex health information. But they do not replace clinical assessment, a patient’s medical history, physical examination, diagnostic tests or the judgement of a qualified healthcare professional.

Medication decisions depend on factors like dosage, other medicines, previous seizures, side effects and the underlying condition. The risks are especially serious when a chatbot gives instructions about prescription doses, encourages a user to conceal treatment changes from clinicians or dismisses symptoms that may require urgent assessment.