NEW DELHI, March 18 -- India's top drug regulator has reiterated the need for states to adopt uniform licensing guidelines for all drug-manufacturing applications to maintain the same quality standards across the country.

The aim of issuing a comprehensive guidance document mandating a dossier-based licensing system is to eliminate regional regulatory discrepancies and enforce a single, rigorous standard for drug approvals in every state and Union Territory to ensure uniform product licensing across the country, Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI) Dr. Rajeev Singh Raghuvanshi said in a directive in February.

"The guidance is now active and state licensing authorities have been requested to adopt the guidance document for uniform pr...