Delhi High Court to hear pharma firms plea on fixed dose drugs ban

The Delhi High Court will today hear the plea filed by several pharmaceutical companies that sought a stay of a central government notification that banned certain fixed dose combination (FDC) drugs.

In its earlier hearing on June 21, the High Court denied interim relief to three pharmaceutical companies- Mankind Pharmaceuticals, Akum Drugs and Pharmaceuticals Ltd and JB Chemicals and Pharma Ltd.

In March last year, the Centre had banned 344 FDC drugs citing health risks and lack of therapeutic justification.

The ban covered about 6,000 brands and major pharma houses including Pfizer Ltd., Sun Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd., Cipla Ltd., Sanofi India Ltd., Alkem Laboratories Ltd. and Wockhardt Ltd. The ban was imposed following a report by a six-member committee headed by Chandrakant Kokate, vice-chancellor of KLE University, Karnataka.

Justice Rajiv Sahai Endlaw of the Delhi high court had quashed the notification, holding that the government had failed to consult statutory authorities like the Drug Testing Advisory Board and the Drugs Consultative Committee for the ban. The court, however, did not rule on whether FDC drugs are harmful to consumers.

Proceedings in all high courts against the ban on 344 FDC drugs are stayed by the Supreme Court where the matter is pending.