Is Gliclazide + Chromium picolinate banned in India?

Gliclazide is a sulfonylurea used for type 2 diabetes. Some manufacturers sold it combined with chromium picolinate, a mineral supplement promoted for blood-sugar control on thin evidence. On 11 June 2026 the Health Ministry prohibited that combination under Section 26A of the Drugs and Cosmetics Act.

The notification, S.O. 3080(E), was one of 16 issued the same day and took effect immediately. The ministry's ground, on the advice of its expert committee and the Drugs Technical Advisory Board, was that the fixed combination has no therapeutic justification and may involve risk to people: chromium adds nothing proven to gliclazide's effect, and fixing the two together removes the ability to adjust the diabetes drug on its own. The order was reported by Medical Dialogues, Business Standard and TheHealthMaster, and we have seen no report of a court challenge.

Gliclazide on its own is not affected. It remains a standard second-line diabetes drug, sold under brands such as Diamicron, Glizid and Reclide, and its combination with metformin is also unaffected. The June 2026 list also removed several other diabetes-adjacent and antibiotic combinations, but no single-ingredient diabetes medicine.

A patient with a gliclazide + chromium pack should see their doctor for a prescription for gliclazide alone at the same strength. The dose of the diabetes drug does not change; only the supplement is removed. This is a switch to arrange, not a reason to pause treatment.