Search any medicine sold in India and see whether it is OTC, Schedule H, Schedule H1 or Schedule X under the Drugs & Cosmetics Rules — and exactly what you must record before dispensing it.
The Drugs & Cosmetics Rules, 1945 group prescription medicines into schedules that determine how a retail pharmacy may sell them:
| Class | Prescription | What the pharmacist must do |
|---|---|---|
| OTC / GENERAL | Not required | No prescription needed. Normal sale and purchase records apply. |
| SCHEDULE H | Required | Dispense only against a valid prescription from a registered medical practitioner. The label carries the Rx symbol and the "to be sold by retail on the prescription of a Registered Medical Practitioner only" warning. |
| SCHEDULE H1 | Required + register | Everything Schedule H requires, plus a separate Schedule H1 register entry with the patient's name, the prescriber's name and address, the drug name, and the quantity dispensed — retained for three years under Rule 65. Packs carry a red-border warning label. Covers third/fourth generation antibiotics, certain habit-forming psychotropics, and anti-tubercular drugs. |
| SCHEDULE X | Required, in duplicate | The most restricted class (narcotic and psychotropic substances). Requires a separate Schedule X licence, prescriptions in duplicate with one copy retained for two years, and dedicated secure storage. Records are subject to inspection. |
For Schedule H1 medicines, Rule 65 of the Drugs & Cosmetics Rules requires a separate register recording, for every supply:
The register must be retained for three years from the date of the last entry and be available for inspection by drug inspectors. Many pharmacies keep this register digitally; the requirement is that the record exists, is complete, and can be produced on inspection.
Section 27 of the Drugs & Cosmetics Act, 1940 writes a prescription for penalties for contravention of the Act and Rules — including sale of a scheduled drug without a valid prescription. Fines range from ₹1 lakh to ₹10 lakh, and imprisonment terms apply, with the length depending on the nature of the offence; the most serious contraventions (spurious or adulterated drugs causing grievous harm) attract the highest penalties. The state drug control authority can also suspend or cancel the retail drug licence. These figures are stated factually from the Act; consult a lawyer or your state drug control department for how they apply to a specific situation.
Nesayo is pharmacy billing software for Indian retail pharmacies. Inside the product, every medicine in the 253,000+ catalog carries its schedule classification, and Schedule H/H1 sales automatically route through a prescription capture flow with an H1 register maintained for you. This free checker uses the same reference catalog. A Bangalore-area pharmacy has been billing on Nesayo since April 2026.
Both require a valid prescription. Schedule H1 adds a separate register (patient, prescriber, drug, quantity) retained for three years, and packs carry a red-border warning label. H1 covers third and fourth generation antibiotics, certain habit-forming psychotropics, and anti-tubercular drugs.
Under Rule 65: the prescriber's name and address, the patient's name, the drug name, and the quantity supplied — in a separate Schedule H1 register retained for three years and open to inspection.
Section 27 of the Drugs & Cosmetics Act provides for fines of ₹1 lakh to ₹10 lakh and imprisonment, with the term depending on the offence. Licence suspension or cancellation is also possible.
No. It is a free reference tool from Nesayo. Classifications come from a reference catalog and are advisory — verify against the official gazette lists published by CDSCO before relying on them. It is not legal advice.