In landmark victory for FDA, court rules against Haryana-based Ayurvedic company that sold medicines that falsely claimed to cure diabetes, blood pressure, cancer and other diseases
VT Paunikar, joint commissioner (drugs), Konkan division, Thane
In a first-of-its-kind victory for the Maharashtra Food and Drug Administration (FDA) against a Haryana-based Ayurvedic company, a court, ruling in its favour, ordered that the Rs 28 lakh-worth drugs it seized, be distributed to poor and needy patients in the state. The case dates back to September last year, when the Navi Mumbai FDA seized Ayurvedic drugs from a Haryana-based company for violating the Drugs and Magic Remedies (Objectionable Advertisements) Act.
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The Ayurvedic drugs falsely claimed to cure diabetes and cancer
According to a senior FDA official, the supplier had the licence to sell the medicines, but they were being sold under false promises. The drugs claimed to cure diabetes, cancer, blood pressure and other diseases. "No one can sell such medicines without a doctor's prescription. This disclaimer wasn't on the label," said VT Paunikar, joint commissioner (drugs), Konkan division, Thane. "It's a violation of the law, and hence, we seized the drugs and presented the evidence in court," he added.
While the court slapped a fine of Rs 10,000 against the company, they also ordered that the seized drugs worth Rs 28 lakh be donated to a state-run hospital, so that it can be distributed for free to needy patients. "It's a record-breaking verdict and is going to help hundreds of poor patients. The paper work is in process," said Dr Pallavi Dadare, FDA commissioner.
Paunikar said that the seized drugs would now be distributed based on prescriptions by doctors. "The medicines are perfect, but the only problem was that it claimed to cure diabetes and cancer. These claims are misleading, and people could consume it without proper guidance," he said. "We are extremely happy with the verdict. Rules need to be strict, so that culprits think twice before committing the same crime again," Paunikar added.
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