New Delhi, March 11 -- The Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI) has directed all pharmaceutical manufacturers and importers to immediately stop surrogate, or indirect, promotion of prescription drugs, particularly targeting new weight-loss and metabolic disorder drugs, according to an advisory reviewed by Mint.

The directive, issued by the Central Drugs Standard Control Organization (CDSCO) on 11 March, signals a significant regulatory shift to protect public health from misleading marketing practices.

The advisory, issued by Rajeev Singh Raghuvanshi, India's drugs controller general, comes after reports surfaced that pharmaceutical firms may be engaging in indirect promotional activities through social media, influencer engagements...