Introduction: The Drugs Consultative Committee (DCC) is a key advisory forum that connects central and state drug control authorities, subject experts, and stakeholders to strengthen drug regulation and public safety. For B.Pharm students, understanding the DCC’s composition and role is essential: it examines quality standards, harmonizes licensing and enforcement practices, advises on scheduling and labeling, supports pharmacovigilance and clinical trial policy, and recommends amendments to the Drugs and Cosmetics framework. Familiarity with DCC functions helps pharmacists engage with regulatory processes, improve compliance, and ensure safe medicines. Now let’s test your knowledge with 30 MCQs on this topic.
Q1. What is the primary purpose of the Drugs Consultative Committee (DCC)?
- To directly issue manufacturing licenses to pharmaceutical companies
- To advise central and state authorities on technical regulatory matters related to drugs and cosmetics
- To act as a judicial body for drug-related criminal cases
- To conduct commercial drug promotions
Correct Answer: To advise central and state authorities on technical regulatory matters related to drugs and cosmetics
Q2. Which of the following groups is commonly represented in the composition of the DCC?
- State drug controllers and central drug control representatives
- Only private pharmaceutical marketing executives
- Only international trade delegates
- Hospital nursing staff exclusively
Correct Answer: State drug controllers and central drug control representatives
Q3. The DCC is best described as which type of body?
- An executive enforcement authority with prosecutorial powers
- An advisory committee providing technical recommendations
- A private industry lobby group
- A clinical ethics review board
Correct Answer: An advisory committee providing technical recommendations
Q4. Which function is typically performed by the DCC?
- Conducting routine inspections of manufacturing units
- Recommending amendments to regulatory rules and standards
- Issuing patents for new drugs
- Managing hospital formularies
Correct Answer: Recommending amendments to regulatory rules and standards
Q5. How does the DCC help achieve uniform drug regulation across regions?
- By centralizing all licensing to a single state authority
- By coordinating policies and sharing best practices between central and state drug control authorities
- By replacing state laws with international law
- By outsourcing regulation to private auditors
Correct Answer: By coordinating policies and sharing best practices between central and state drug control authorities
Q6. DCC’s role in pharmacovigilance includes which activity?
- Performing all adverse event causality assessments itself
- Advising on national pharmacovigilance strategies and reporting systems
- Selling adverse-event data to commercial entities
- Certifying individual pharmacists as pharmacovigilance officers
Correct Answer: Advising on national pharmacovigilance strategies and reporting systems
Q7. Which type of experts are commonly included in DCC meetings to provide technical input?
- Experts in pharmacology, toxicology, and pharmaceutical analysis
- Only marketing and sales experts
- Sports coaches and fitness trainers
- Primary school teachers exclusively
Correct Answer: Experts in pharmacology, toxicology, and pharmaceutical analysis
Q8. Does the DCC have direct power to enforce drug laws and revoke licenses?
- Yes, it personally revokes all licenses
- No, it issues advisory recommendations and the executive authority acts on them
- Yes, it prosecutes violators in criminal courts
- No, it only handles international trade disputes
Correct Answer: No, it issues advisory recommendations and the executive authority acts on them
Q9. Which of the following areas can the DCC recommend policy changes for?
- Clinical trial regulation, drug scheduling, and quality standards
- Issuing individual medical prescriptions
- Running retail pharmacies as commercial enterprises
- Determining hospital appointment schedules
Correct Answer: Clinical trial regulation, drug scheduling, and quality standards
Q10. Who typically nominates or appoints members of the DCC?
- The central government or its designated ministry/authority
- Local grocery stores
- International non-governmental organizations only
- Random lottery among pharmacists
Correct Answer: The central government or its designated ministry/authority
Q11. In relation to pharmacopoeial standards, how does the DCC contribute?
- By developing and recommending national standards and adopting international monographs when appropriate
- By producing commercial drug monographs for sale
- By banning all foreign pharmacopoeias
- By certifying retail pharmacists as pharmacopoeia authors
Correct Answer: By developing and recommending national standards and adopting international monographs when appropriate
Q12. How does the DCC assist in handling emerging drug safety issues?
- By recommending regulatory interventions, risk communication and coordinated inspections
- By immediately shutting down all manufacturers without review
- By delegating all responsibility to the media
- By issuing commercial endorsements for the drug
Correct Answer: By recommending regulatory interventions, risk communication and coordinated inspections
Q13. Which statement about DCC meetings is most accurate?
- They are held periodically to review technical matters and may be convened as needed
- They meet daily to issue licenses
- They meet only once every decade
- They always meet in secret without minutes
Correct Answer: They are held periodically to review technical matters and may be convened as needed
Q14. The DCC’s recommendations on drug scheduling (e.g., classification for sale and prescription) are used for what purpose?
- To guide regulatory authorities in framing rules for distribution and prescription control
- To set retail prices for over-the-counter products
- To determine hospital staff uniforms
- To allocate advertising budgets for pharmaceutical firms
Correct Answer: To guide regulatory authorities in framing rules for distribution and prescription control
Q15. Which of the following is NOT a typical component of DCC’s advisory remit?
- Advising on quality control laboratory networks
- Issuing final judicial verdicts on criminal cases
- Harmonizing licensing practices across states
- Reviewing safety of biologicals and vaccines
Correct Answer: Issuing final judicial verdicts on criminal cases
Q16. How does the DCC support clinical trial oversight?
- By advising on ethical and technical aspects of trial protocols and regulatory requirements
- By becoming the primary sponsor of all clinical trials
- By replacing institutional ethics committees
- By manufacturing investigational products
Correct Answer: By advising on ethical and technical aspects of trial protocols and regulatory requirements
Q17. DCC’s coordination with state drug authorities mainly aims to:
- Ensure uniform interpretation and enforcement of drug laws and standards
- Reduce the number of drug inspectors to zero
- Create separate laws for each district
- Privatize all testing laboratories
Correct Answer: Ensure uniform interpretation and enforcement of drug laws and standards
Q18. When international standards change, what role can the DCC play?
- Review international guidance and recommend domestic adoption or adaptation
- Automatically replace national standards without review
- Ban all international inputs on principle
- Ignore international developments entirely
Correct Answer: Review international guidance and recommend domestic adoption or adaptation
Q19. Which stakeholder is least likely to be a regular member of the DCC?
- Consumer safety or public health representatives
- State drug control officers
- Retail customers selected at random
- Technical experts from laboratories and academia
Correct Answer: Retail customers selected at random
Q20. In the context of outbreak response or emergency use authorizations, DCC can:
- Advise on expedited regulatory measures, risk-benefit assessment and monitoring
- Distribute vaccines directly to the public
- Replace clinical trial data with anecdotal reports
- Authorize drugs without any scientific review
Correct Answer: Advise on expedited regulatory measures, risk-benefit assessment and monitoring
Q21. Which of the following accurately describes how DCC recommendations reach the enforcing authorities?
- Recommendations are forwarded to the central government or regulatory authority for decision and implementation
- Recommendations are automatically enacted as law without review
- Recommendations are published only in commercial newsletters
- Recommendations are sold to the highest bidder
Correct Answer: Recommendations are forwarded to the central government or regulatory authority for decision and implementation
Q22. Regarding laboratory quality, what action is the DCC most likely to propose?
- Strengthening drug testing networks, accreditation and standard operating procedures
- Closing all government labs permanently
- Allowing unvalidated methods for routine testing
- Outsourcing quality control to social media platforms
Correct Answer: Strengthening drug testing networks, accreditation and standard operating procedures
Q23. Which of these is an appropriate example of a technical issue DCC would consider?
- Revision of permissible impurity limits and assay methods for a drug
- Choosing the color scheme for pharmaceutical advertisements
- Setting employee cafeteria menus
- Selecting brand ambassadors for OTC products
Correct Answer: Revision of permissible impurity limits and assay methods for a drug
Q24. How does DCC contribute to consumer safety education?
- By advising on labeling requirements, risk communication and awareness strategies
- By running commercial ads for pharmaceutical companies
- By providing free medical diagnoses
- By selling consumer data to marketers
Correct Answer: By advising on labeling requirements, risk communication and awareness strategies
Q25. Which statement is true about the binding nature of DCC recommendations?
- They are advisory and help inform government decisions but are not directly binding
- They instantly become enforceable law upon issuance
- They are legally invalid and ignored by authorities
- They replace judicial court orders
Correct Answer: They are advisory and help inform government decisions but are not directly binding
Q26. In disputes between state and central authorities over drug regulation, DCC is expected to:
- Facilitate dialogue and propose harmonized solutions
- Act as an independent court to issue verdicts
- Take sides with private companies exclusively
- Disband state authorities
Correct Answer: Facilitate dialogue and propose harmonized solutions
Q27. DCC’s involvement with biologicals and vaccines typically includes:
- Advising on safety standards, potency assays and regulatory pathways
- Manufacturing vaccines itself
- Setting retail prices for vaccines
- Running vaccination clinics
Correct Answer: Advising on safety standards, potency assays and regulatory pathways
Q28. Which activity would be outside the usual remit of the DCC?
- Ordering police investigations into criminal fraud cases directly
- Recommending laboratory testing protocols
- Advising on clinical trial guidelines
- Harmonizing drug classification across states
Correct Answer: Ordering police investigations into criminal fraud cases directly
Q29. How might DCC engage with international regulatory developments?
- By reviewing international guidelines and advising on their domestic applicability
- By automatically adopting every foreign rule without evaluation
- By blocking any foreign scientific input
- By solely relying on social media trends
Correct Answer: By reviewing international guidelines and advising on their domestic applicability
Q30. For a B.Pharm student, why is understanding the DCC important?
- It provides essential context on how drug policy, safety standards and regulatory coordination are shaped nationally
- It replaces the need to study pharmaceutics and pharmacology
- It guarantees immediate employment in regulatory agencies
- It allows students to bypass professional licensing exams
Correct Answer: It provides essential context on how drug policy, safety standards and regulatory coordination are shaped nationally
I am a Registered Pharmacist under the Pharmacy Act, 1948, and the founder of PharmacyFreak.com. I hold a Bachelor of Pharmacy degree from Rungta College of Pharmaceutical Science and Research. With a strong academic foundation and practical knowledge, I am committed to providing accurate, easy-to-understand content to support pharmacy students and professionals. My aim is to make complex pharmaceutical concepts accessible and useful for real-world application.
Mail- Sachin@pharmacyfreak.com