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Health ministry to amend Drugs Rules to change unit of measurement for folic acid
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Gireesh Babu, New Delhi
January 31 , 2026
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The Union health ministry has issued a draft notification with a proposal to correct the strength of folic acid with regard to its unit of measurement from milligram (mg) to micrograms (mcg), under the Schedule V of Drugs Rules, 1945.
The move is to do away with unnecessary confusion, chances of misinterpretation and incorrect administration of dosages of the vitamin B9, which is essential for production of healthy red blood cell production, and reduce high homocysteine levels.
The draft notification proposes amendment of the Drugs Rules, to substitute the unit mentioned against the folic acid under the table of Schedule V, from the present "mg" to "mcg".
The draft, issued after consultation with the Drugs Technical Advisory Board (DTAB), shall be taken into consideration on or after the expiry of a period of 30 days from the date on which the copies of the Gazette of India containing these draft rules are made available to the public. It shall come into force on the date of their final publication in the Official Gazette, said the Ministry.
The Drugs Consultative Committee (DCC), the advisory committee that advises the Central and state governments on matters related to uniform implementation of the drugs regulations, in its 65th meeting on December 20, 2024, was apprised of the requirement for such a correction.
The Committee agreed with the proposal for appropriate amendment in the Drugs Rules. The proposal was also taken up by the DTAB for approval, prior to the issuance of the draft notification.
The correction is important, considering that the lower dosage of folic acid is used as a prophylactic in situations such as pregnancy to prevent infant malformation. However, use of higher dose would be to address certain issues such as neural tube defects, according to experts.
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