Sunita Somvanshi
Patients and pharmacists across India who dispense or take Cadila Pharmaceuticals’ Aciloc range of medicines should check their stock against an active recall and market withdrawal ordered by the Maharashtra Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
The Maharashtra FDA has ordered Cadila Pharmaceuticals to pull Aciloc 150, Aciloc 150 Plus, Aciloc 300, and Aciloc 300 Plus from the market, seizing stock valued at approximately Rs 2.45 crore. The core issue is that Cadila simultaneously markets both an older ranitidine-based Aciloc product and a newer famotidine-based Aciloc product under the same brand name, which the Maharashtra FDA classified as deceptive branding with the potential to cause dangerous medication mix-ups. The recall and legal proceedings are progressing under the Drugs and Cosmetics Act, with further investigation under way.
If you are currently taking any Aciloc product, do not stop your medication without consulting your prescribing doctor. Check the active ingredient printed on your pack: Aciloc products containing ranitidine are subject to the withdrawal order. Take your pack to your dispensing pharmacist for verification and, if required, an equivalent replacement under a different brand name. Pharmacists and retail distributors have been instructed to withdraw affected stock from shelves and storage.
## Why the Brand Confusion Is a Safety Risk
Ranitidine and famotidine both treat acid-related conditions, but they belong to different drug classes, carry different interaction profiles, and are prescribed at different doses. If a patient or pharmacist selects the wrong version — the ranitidine-based product when famotidine was prescribed, or vice versa — the clinical result differs from the intended treatment. The Maharashtra FDA classified the dual-brand presence as creating conditions for a dispensing error, which carries the classification of deceptive branding under Indian pharmaceutical law.
The seized stock was valued at Rs 2.45 crore. Legal proceedings under the Drugs and Cosmetics Act are active, and further investigation and possible prosecution are under way against the company. This action follows Maharashtra FDA surveillance activities, not a patient-reported adverse event, meaning the risk was identified proactively rather than after harm occurred.
Patients who believe they may have received the wrong version of Aciloc should inform their doctor at their next appointment and report the dispensing to the Maharashtra FDA’s consumer grievance portal.
**What should patients do if they are on an Aciloc prescription?**
Contact your dispensing pharmacist to verify which active ingredient your current pack contains. If it is ranitidine-based, ask for a replacement prescription under an alternative brand. Maharashtra pharmacies and distributors are legally required to withdraw the affected products and provide equivalent alternatives at no additional cost to the patient where a valid prescription is held.
The [prescription drug safety checklist](#) on Karmactive and the Maharashtra FDA’s official notice provide updated product and batch details. The recall action is ongoing.
**Corrections applied:** The entire story premise was corrected. The original article described a sterile injectable contamination via water-for-injection distillation failure, which has no basis in confirmed sources. The actual 2026 Cadila recall is a Maharashtra FDA action against Aciloc products (Aciloc 150/150 Plus/300/300 Plus) for deceptive branding — ranitidine and famotidine products marketed under the same name creating dispensing confusion. The CDSCO reference removed (confirmed Maharashtra FDA action, not central CDSCO injectable recall). All particulate matter, thrombosis, and injectable contamination language removed. Story rewritten to reflect the actual regulatory action.
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