No headache for Saridon: Supreme Court exempts three tablets from the list of banned medicines

On Monday, Supreme Court exempted Saridon along with two other medicines from the banned Fixed Dose Combination (FDC) drugs list as per Health Ministry’s recent notification. Now, these medicines will be available in the market for sale. The decision from the apex court came after repeated pleas from the pharma companies. Also, the court has asked for an explanation from the centre regarding the ban of these medicines.

Previously, the Health Ministry had decided to ban 343 medicines after consultation from its advisory body. The medicines were prepared using combinations and were known as fixed-dose medicines and are on the verge of being scrapped after, Health Ministry’s department, Drugs Controller Governor of India (DGIC) stated that these combination medicines are hazardous for people to consume. 

Meanwhile, several pharmaceutical companies approached the Supreme Court challenging the Health Ministry’s decision to ban them. The Health Ministry had imposed the ban as they were ‘unable of healing’ and the plea complained about the same during the hearing at the Supreme Court. 

Also Read: Medical Insurance For Infertility Treatment: The First Step Towards Empathy

The Drugs Controller Governor of India (DCGI) displayed how the medicines were causing serious damage to the people consuming them. The court then ordered DCGI to take a call upon the ban of the fixed-dose combination medicines. The government in response had banned many tablets including painkillers, diabetes pills, and antibiotics.

The FDC medicines have been a topic of debate amongst the people of the country for a long time since a group of health workers stated that these medicines were hazardous for consumption whereas since the ban will shave off over ₹1,500 crore from India's ₹1.18 lakh crore worth pharmaceutical industry, the companies have been trying to fight the financial debacle shadowing them. 

Meanwhile, FDCs are banned in several countries like Japan, USA, France, Germany, and Britain. India hasn’t banned the FDCs but Puducherry is the only state that has banned the medicines.