New Delhi The government is planning to tighten the regulatory landscape of the R4,500-crore vitamins and neutraceuticals market in the country. Different arms of government — the drug regulator, Drug Controller General of India (DCGI), and the food regulator, Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) — are taking a series of steps to correct the anomaly of multivitamins getting marketed as dietary supplements.

First, DCGI may make it mandatory for all such vitamin manufacturers who use any drug as ingredients in their products to take a no-objection certificate from the government. This is likely to become compulsory for manufacturers who use medicinal ingredients for 'non medicinal use', which would include food supplements.