Schedule H is the prescription-only drug category under India's Drugs and Cosmetics Rules — no DTC advertising, prescription-only dispensing.
Schedule H is the category of prescription-only drugs under India's Drugs and Cosmetics Rules 1945. Schedule H drugs cannot be advertised direct-to-consumer under any circumstances and can only be dispensed against a valid prescription from a registered medical practitioner.
How it works.
- Enumerate every drug named in content. Any content the clinic or hospital produces — blog, ad, social, video.
- Classify each against the drug schedules. Schedule H, H1, X, OTC.
- Remove Schedule H drug names from consumer content. Replace with drug-class or condition-management language.
- Retain drug names in professional-only content. CME modules, journal ads, MR decks — separate distribution track.
- Store the reframing rationale. DCGI audit trail.
- Retrain content teams quarterly. Schedule H list is amended by government notification periodically.
Why it matters for
Indian healthcare.
Schedule H sits at the top of the Indian prescription-drug hierarchy. No consumer-facing marketing may name a Schedule H drug, promote it, or imply it is available without prescription. This constraint shapes how pharma companies advertise (only ethical channels), how hospitals discuss treatment options in blog content (drug-class, not drug-name), and how patients encounter drug information (through a doctor, not through an ad). DCGI enforcement is active in 2026 with regular takedowns and consumer-court orders. The Drugs and Cosmetics Act 1940 remains the statutory basis and permits criminal prosecution for serious breaches.
How ICG uses this.
ICG maintains a live Schedule H drug reference and screens every managed pharma or hospital content piece against it. Reframing to drug-class or condition-management language is the standard remediation. Related: DCGI Drug Advertising, Schedule H1, Schedule X, Schedule J Drug List.
Frequently asked questions.
Can Schedule H drugs appear in awareness content?
The drug can be named only in ethical medical-professional content (medical journals, CME, MR communication). Any consumer-facing content naming a Schedule H drug is a DCGI breach.
What does the label look like?
Schedule H drugs carry a symbol Rx and the caution "Schedule H — Warning: To be sold by retail on the prescription of a Registered Medical Practitioner only" on the pack.
How is DTC violation enforced?
State drug controllers and DCGI issue notices; Meta and Google enforce platform-side takedowns; consumer courts hear complaints; in serious cases the Drugs and Cosmetics Act 1940 permits criminal prosecution.
Is telemedicine prescribing affected?
Yes — the Telemedicine Practice Guidelines 2020 impose additional constraints on Schedule H prescribing via telemedicine (permitted for follow-ups, restricted for initial consultations).
Audit your drug content
against Schedule H.
ICG runs a free 30-min Brand & Growth Diagnostic that plugs into your live account and surfaces this metric against portfolio benchmarks.
