Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023
Section 278
Sale of drug as a different drug or preparation
Whoever knowingly sells, or offers or exposes for sale, or issues from a dispensary for medicinal purposes, any drug or medical preparation, as a different drug or medical preparation, shall be punished with imprisonment of either description for a term which may extend to six months, or with fine which may extend to five thousand rupees, or with both.
Why this exists
Patients and doctors rely on medicines being correctly identified — the wrong drug, even an otherwise safe one, can fail to treat a condition or actively cause harm if mismatched with a patient's needs. This section, continuing the old IPC Section 276, criminalises knowingly mislabelling or misrepresenting one medicine as another.