Published Sep 18, 2026 | 1:24 PM ⚊ Updated Sep 18, 2026 | 1:24 PM
Lindane is used for scabies and lice. (iStock/ representational)
Synopsis: The Drugs Technical Advisory Board (DTAB), the government’s statutory body that advises on technical matters related to drugs, revisited the issue at its meeting on August 27, 2026. It recommended prohibiting the manufacture, sale and import of Lindane after noting that the medicine has been discontinued in the US and is not listed in Australia’s drug regulator database.
A government drug advisory body has recommended banning the manufacture, sale and import of Lindane, a medicine used as a second-line treatment for scabies and lice infestations.
The recommendation marks a reversal of the body’s earlier decision to allow the medicine to remain on the Indian market.
The Drugs Technical Advisory Board (DTAB), the government’s statutory body that advises on technical matters related to drugs, revisited the issue at its meeting on August 27, 2026. It recommended prohibiting the manufacture, sale and import of Lindane after noting that the medicine has been discontinued in the US and is not listed in Australia’s drug regulator database.
“After detailed deliberation, DTAB opined that Lindane lotion & other formulations have been discontinued by USFDA and are also not available in the TGA database of Australia. Further, alternative therapeutic options for Lindane are available in India,” the minutes of the meeting state.
The Board then recommended prohibition of the manufacture, sale and import of Lindane.
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Lindane is used in topical preparations for scabies and lice infestations. In its earlier deliberations, the government drug advisory body had noted that the medicine was being used as a second-line treatment, meaning it could be used when other treatment options were not suitable or effective.
The issue had first been considered by DTAB during its 92nd meeting on April 24, 2025. At that time, the Board had taken a different position and recommended that Lindane continue to be marketed.
The Board had then noted that the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare had already prohibited the manufacture, import and formulation of Lindane for agricultural use through a Gazette notification dated March 25, 2011.
However, DTAB distinguished this from its medical use. It noted that topical Lindane was being used as a second-line treatment for scabies and lice and that the Stockholm Convention permitted such use.
The Board had concluded that Lindane was an affordable and effective treatment and recommended its continued marketing. It had also suggested that guidance be issued on the safe disposal of the medicine, including instructions on its label.
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When the matter came up again, DTAB considered an Office Memorandum issued by the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change on January 21, 2025, which referred to the Stockholm Convention and its provisions concerning persistent organic pollutants.
The Board also noted that Lindane lotion and other formulations have been discontinued by the US Food and Drug Administration (USFDA) and were not available in the database of Australia’s Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA).
Importantly, the Board also noted that alternative treatments for Lindane are available in India.
Based on these considerations, the Board revisited its 2025 recommendation and moved from allowing continued marketing to recommending a prohibition on manufacture, sale and import.
The latest minutes record a recommendation by DTAB, rather than an immediate ban coming into force. Further regulatory action would be required before the prohibition becomes legally effective.
(Edited by Sumavarsha, with inputs from Sumit Jha)
