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Is Ultracet banned in India?

Last checked 3 November 2026

Ultracet. Status: Not banned · NDPS-controlled, prescription only.
No current action

Ultracet (tramadol + paracetamol) is not banned in India: it was left out of the 2018 and 2024 FDC bans, but tramadol has been an NDPS psychotropic since S.O. 1761(E) of 26 Apr 2018, so it is sold only on prescription.

Classification
No ban or recall found in official records
Decided by
CDSCO / Ministry of Health and Family Welfare; Department of Revenue (NDPS Act)
Reference
No Section 26A notification for tramadol + paracetamol; NDPS S.O. 1761(E), 26 Apr 2018, amended by S.O. 3448(E), 13 Jul 2018
Evidence
Government document
Latest action
2 August 2024
Last checked
3 November 2026
See the source Report a mistake

Tramadol capsules in a blister strip. Photo: Tramadol Capsules.jpg by The Drug Users Bible (CC BY 2.0). Brand names and logos belong to their owners and are used here to identify the product this entry is about. All photo credits.

Primary government sourceTier 1: government primary source

CDSCO: Updated banned drugs list with present status (as on 22.11.2021)

CDSCO / Ministry of Health and Family Welfare; Department of Revenue (NDPS Act) · No Section 26A notification for tramadol + paracetamol; NDPS S.O. 1761(E), 26 Apr 2018, amended by S.O. 3448(E), 13 Jul 2018 · 22 November 2021

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Scope. A record here does not by itself mean a product or company is unsafe or banned today. Regulatory actions can apply to one batch, one formulation, one period or one state. Always check the linked government document for the current position, and tell us if something is out of date. How we label records.

Below: Blacklisted's explanationWe organise and explain what the document says. The document above is the authority.

Key facts

Composition
Tramadol 37.5 mg + paracetamol 325 mg (PharmEasy listing)
Maker
Johnson & Johnson Pvt Ltd (PharmEasy listing)
Ban status
Not banned. Tramadol + paracetamol is not in the 2 Aug 2024 list of 156 FDCs or the 7 Sep 2018 list
Control
Tramadol is a psychotropic substance under the NDPS Act: S.O. 1761(E), 26 Apr 2018; S.O. 3448(E), 13 Jul 2018
Banned lookalikes (2018)
Diclofenac + tramadol + paracetamol, S.O. 4386(E); lornoxicam + paracetamol + tramadol, S.O. 4407(E); diclofenac + tramadol + chlorzoxazone, S.O. 4384(E)
Banned lookalikes (2024)
Tramadol + dicyclomine + domperidone, S.O. 3439(E); tramadol + paracetamol + caffeine + taurine, S.O. 3440(E)

Where the claim comes from

Three things make Ultracet look banned. Tramadol combinations that look like it were banned: diclofenac + tramadol + paracetamol and lornoxicam + paracetamol + tramadol on 7 Sep 2018, and tramadol + paracetamol + caffeine + taurine on 2 Aug 2024. Tramadol itself moved under the NDPS Act in April 2018, which was widely reported as a ban. And some online pharmacies show Ultracet with the note 'We do not sell this product'.

Ultracet is a tramadol 37.5 mg + paracetamol 325 mg tablet. It is not banned in India. What changed in 2018 is that tramadol, its opioid ingredient, came under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, so Ultracet is sold only on prescription.

The NDPS step was S.O. 1761(E) of 26 Apr 2018, which listed tramadol as a psychotropic substance. S.O. 3448(E) of 13 Jul 2018 amended it so that licensed makers, importers and exporters "shall be covered ... after the expiry of a period of 120 days". BioSpectrum reported at the time that tramadol "will no longer be available freely over the counter"; medical use continued.

The question "why is Ultracet banned" mostly comes from lookalike products. On 7 Sep 2018 the Health Ministry banned diclofenac + tramadol + paracetamol (S.O. 4386(E)) and lornoxicam + paracetamol + tramadol (S.O. 4407(E)), both three-drug tablets that contain Ultracet's two ingredients plus a third painkiller. On 2 Aug 2024 it banned tramadol + paracetamol + caffeine + taurine (S.O. 3440(E)) and tramadol + dicyclomine + domperidone (S.O. 3439(E)). The two-drug tramadol + paracetamol combination is in neither list.

Some retailers do not stock Ultracet. PharmEasy's listing, for example, says "We do not sell this product". That is a retailer's decision, not a regulator's.

What this means for you

You need a prescription

Tramadol is NDPS-controlled, so Ultracet should be sold only against a valid prescription.

A shop that does not sell it is not a ban

Some pharmacies and apps do not stock Ultracet. That is a retailer's choice; no order prohibits it.

Count the ingredients on the strip

Tramadol with paracetamol alone is legal. A tablet that adds diclofenac, lornoxicam, or caffeine with taurine is a banned combination.

This is a record of official orders, not medical advice. Do not stop a prescribed medicine without asking your doctor or pharmacist.

Common questions

Why is Ultracet tablet banned?

It is not. Ultracet (tramadol + paracetamol) is legal on prescription; the banned products are three- and four-drug tramadol combinations from 2018 and 2024.

Is Ultracet banned in India?

No. Tramadol + paracetamol is not in any FDC ban list. Tramadol is NDPS-controlled since 26 Apr 2018, so you need a prescription.

Is tramadol paracetamol banned?

No. Only tramadol + paracetamol with a third or fourth drug, such as diclofenac, lornoxicam, or caffeine and taurine, is banned.

Why does my pharmacy app not sell Ultracet?

Some retailers choose not to stock it. That is not a ban; it can be sold against a valid prescription.

Batches flagged in CDSCO alerts

No NSQ batch on record. No product matching this name appears in CDSCO or state-lab NSQ alerts from Jan 2019 to September 2026. Absence from the alerts is not proof of quality, check your batch number.

Sources

Government documents

News reports

Other sources

Researched and written by The Blacklisted team
We are not doctors or pharmacists. Everything on this page comes from the documents listed above, which you can open and check. Last checked 3 November 2026. How we check · Who we are · Spotted a mistake? Tell us.