The Indian Pharmaceutical Association is calling on the government to implement legal requirements enforcing drugs and cosmetics manufacturers to specify temperature storage instructions on products.

Currently, many manufacturers store products correctly in factory conditions, controlling for temperature, ventilation, humidity and sunlight exposure, but fail to provide detailed storage instructions for conditions in warehouses, pharmacies and the homes of customers.

Without amending the Drugs and Cosmetic Act to include detailed requirements, many products may lose their effectiveness due to improper storage, the pharmacists claim.

In a letter addressed to the Central Drugs Standard Control Organization (CDSCO), the Indian Pharmaceutical Association (IPA) notes that “there is complete non-uniformity in the storage temperature instructions on labels.”

The letter highlights the problems posed by the current situation, in which many manufacturers fail to include any storage temperature instructions and others include vague statements such as “store at room temperature.”

The IPA points out that room temperature varies greatly throughout the year in India, and calls for requirements to list the specific temperature range in which a product should be stored.

IPA also calls for greater detail in storage temperature instructions for where a product should or should not be kept, such as “Do not keep in the freezer,” or “Keep out of sunlight.”