India pulls plans to amend cosmetics act in favour of new law

India's government has withdrawn plans to amend the Drugs and Cosmetics Act, pending since 2013, after a parliamentary committee recommended an overhaul of the legislation.

The committee says a complete revamp would help align the country with global best practices in manufacturing, testing and quality standards. It would also include new issues and advances in these fields.The country is now expected to introduce a new law to regulate drugs and cosmetics, with some associations calling for a separate cosmetics act. A government statement on 22 June said: "The Cabinet has, keeping in view the role of the sector in managing public health, decided that it will not be appropriate to carry out further amendments [to] the present Act."