Prescription Drugs in India - A Guide for Foreign Visitors

If you take medication regularly, the safest plan is simple: bring enough of your usual prescription with you to cover the entire trip, plus a few spare days. But suitcases get lost, trips get extended, and sometimes a holiday visitor falls ill and needs something they did not pack. India has a huge, well-stocked pharmacy network, and almost every common medicine is available — usually under a name you will not recognise. This guide explains how to bridge that name gap and how to buy safely.

This is general travel information, not medical advice. Drug names, formulations and availability change. Before you take any medicine, confirm the active ingredient, dose and suitability with a qualified pharmacist or doctor. If your medication is essential, do not rely on finding it in India — bring it with you.

Why drug names look different in India

A medicine has two kinds of name:

• The generic name (also called the international non-proprietary name or INN) — the chemical name that identifies the active ingredient. Generic names are the same world-wide. Ramipril is ramipril whether the box was packed in Germany, Toronto or Hyderabad.
• The brand name — what the drug is sold as commercially. Brands vary by country and by manufacturer. The blood-pressure tablet called Altace in North America is called Cardace in India, even though both are made by the same parent company.

Once you know the generic name of every prescription you take, finding the Indian equivalent is almost always straightforward. Without it, you are guessing.

How to find your medicine in India

1. Before you travel, write down the generic name and dose of every prescription you carry. Your home pharmacy can print this on the bottle label, and it will be on the manufacturer's website. "Lipitor 20 mg" is not enough — what you really need is "Atorvastatin 20 mg, once daily."
2. Carry your prescription or a doctor's note, even if Indian pharmacies often dispense without one. It speeds things up if there is any question, and you may need it at customs.
3. At an Indian pharmacy, ask for the medicine by its generic name. Pharmacists are trained on generics; they will hand you the locally-stocked brand. If they suggest something, check the box for the generic name and the strength before you accept it.
4. Compare strengths carefully. A 10 mg tablet at home is not the same as a 5 mg tablet here, even if the brand sounds similar.
5. Look at the box. Indian medicine packaging clearly lists the generic name (often in slightly smaller print) and the strength. Match what is on the box to what is on your home prescription.

Reference table - common medications and their Indian brand names

The table below covers some of the most-prescribed medications used by visitors. It is not exhaustive — there are usually several Indian brands of each generic, and only a few of the leading ones are listed.

If your medication is not on this table, your pharmacist at home or a quick search of "[generic name] India brand" will find it almost every time.

Buying medicines safely in India

Even though pharmacies are everywhere, a few habits will keep you out of trouble:

• Buy from a reputable, established chain or busy local pharmacy. Apollo Pharmacy, MedPlus, Wellness Forever and 1mg are the largest national chains. Hospital pharmacies attached to good hospitals are also reliable.
• Always ask for a proper printed receipt. A common local belief is that asking for a receipt will add sales tax and push the price up. It does not. Every medicine in India carries a Maximum Retail Price (MRP) printed on the box, and the MRP is inclusive of all taxes — you pay exactly that amount whether you take a receipt or not. Many Indian customers skip the receipt thinking they are saving money, when in reality they only lose the proof of purchase. Always ask for it. A receipt also makes it almost impossible for a counterfeit drug to be slipped into your purchase, because the pharmacist has to record the batch number against the sale.
• Check the seal and the box before you leave the shop. Look for the manufacturer name, batch number, manufacture date and expiry date. Do not accept a strip with no expiry date or with a print quality that looks suspicious.
• Watch the expiry date. Stock turnover varies, especially in smaller towns. Anything within six months of expiry, ask for fresher stock.
• Be careful with the strength. Indian-market doses sometimes differ from the strengths you are used to. 5 mg and 2.5 mg tablets of the same generic look almost identical on the box.
• Avoid street-stall "pharmacies" that operate from a folding table or a kiosk without a licence number on display. Licensed Indian pharmacies must display their drug-licence number — it should be visible at the counter.

Things that work differently in India

A few small surprises catch first-time visitors out:

• Most prescription drugs are dispensed without anyone asking for a prescription. Indian law actually does require a valid doctor's prescription for the great majority of prescription medicines — they are listed under Schedule H, H1 and X of the Drugs and Cosmetics Rules — but enforcement at the pharmacy counter is patchy. In practice, antibiotics, blood-pressure tablets and even some antidepressants are routinely handed over the counter without anyone asking to see a prescription. The rule exists; the day-to-day reality is laxer. This is convenient if you have run out of a familiar medication, but it does not make self-prescribing safer — always get advice from a doctor or a qualified pharmacist before starting anything new.
• Strip packaging dominates. Most tablets come in foil-and-plastic strips of 10 or 15 rather than bottles. Pharmacies often sell single strips ("a strip of 10").
• Combination tablets are very common. Combiflam is ibuprofen plus paracetamol. Crocin Cold and Flu mixes paracetamol with phenylephrine and an antihistamine. Read the box — some "cold remedies" combine several active ingredients you may not need.
• Generic-only stores exist. Government-run Jan Aushadhi outlets sell unbranded generics at sharply reduced prices. Quality is fine for routine medicines, though selection is narrower than at private chains.
• Refrigerated medicines need care. Insulin and some biologics need a cold chain. Buy these from a large chain pharmacy, not a corner shop, and carry an insulated travel pouch.

What to do if you cannot find your medicine

A few prescription drugs sold widely in North America or Europe are simply not registered in India, or are sold under a slightly different formulation. If a pharmacy cannot find your medicine:

• Ask the pharmacist if there is an equivalent in the same drug class. They can phone a colleague at a larger branch to check stock.
• Visit a hospital pharmacy attached to a major private hospital (Apollo, Fortis, Max, Manipal, Medanta, AIIMS). They stock drugs that local pharmacies do not.
• See an Indian doctor for a one-off consultation. A consultation at a major private hospital costs only a fraction of what it would in North America or Europe and will get you a local prescription with a sensible substitute.

Bringing your own medicines into India

For a normal personal supply, this is rarely a problem. A few sensible habits:

• Carry medicines in their original labelled containers.
• Keep them in your carry-on luggage, not checked baggage.
• Carry a copy of the prescription and a doctor's letter if the medicine is unusual, controlled, or in injectable form.
• If you take strong painkillers, sleep aids, ADHD stimulants or anxiety medications — anything that is a controlled or scheduled substance at home — bring only the quantity you need, with prescription paperwork. Some categories of drugs that are routine in the West are tightly controlled in India.

Related guides on this site

• Plan Your Visit pre-trip checklist — the broader pre-departure checklist this article expands on.
• How to Get a Visa to Visit India — visa basics for foreign visitors.
• Medical tourism in India — for travellers coming for treatment rather than holiday.

This article is based on personal travel experience and publicly available information about commonly-prescribed medications. It is not a substitute for advice from a qualified healthcare professional. Always confirm with your doctor or a pharmacist before taking, switching, or discontinuing any medication.