The Drugs and Cosmetics Act, 1940

This edition of The Drugs and Cosmetics Act, 1940 presents a comprehensive and up-to-date compilation of India’s core legislation governing drugs and cosmetics. The text contains the Drugs and Cosmetics Act, 1940 (Act 23 of 1940), as amended by the Jan Vishwas (Amendment of Provisions) Act, 2023 (Act 18 of 2023), along with subsequent notifications and amendments effective up to 2025, ensuring complete statutory accuracy as applicable in 2026.

The book is updated with the Drugs Rules, 1945, as amended from time to time, and includes allied and supplementary legislations such as the Drugs (Control) Act, 1950 (repealed by the Repealing and Amending Act, 2016), the Cosmetics Rules, 2020, and the Drugs and Cosmetics (Compounding of Offences) Rules, 2025. These inclusions provide a holistic view of the regulatory framework governing manufacture, import, distribution, sale, and quality control of drugs and cosmetics in India.

Presented primarily as a bare act, this edition reproduces the statutory provisions exactly as enacted, with short comments to aid clarity and practical understanding, without detailed interpretation. It is designed to serve as a dependable legal reference for study, compliance, and examination purposes.

The content covers regulatory authorities, licensing requirements, standards of quality, offences and penalties, enforcement mechanisms, and procedural provisions essential to pharmaceutical and cosmetic regulation.

This 2026 edition is particularly useful for law students, legal practitioners, pharmaceutical professionals, regulatory affairs specialists, compliance officers, and academicians seeking an authoritative and current legislative text. It stands as a reliable resource for academic study, professional practice, and regulatory compliance under the Drugs and Cosmetics law framework in India.