
The Drugs Technical Advisory Board (DTAB) of the Indian government is to recommend ban on many fixed dose combination (FDC) drugs.
The move comes at a time when the Drug Controller General of India (DCGI) and the pharma industry are locked in a battle over a wide range of such drugs. The DCGI actually wants to knock off the market as many as 294 FDCs, holding them irrational.
Advertisement
In November last the Madras High court in southern India stayed an order of the DCGI asking state drug controllers to take action against the FDC drugs. But the Board's latest decision will strengthen the case of the Controller, reports Pharma Bizz, an Indian portal on the drug industry
Drug Controller General of India Dr M Venkateshwarlu said, "The DTAB has approved a proposal by which a large number of FDC drugs comes under the category of rejected, absurd, etc will be banned. A sub-committee will identify the drugs which will be banned".
The official, a no-nonsense man, is of the view that while the safety of the combinations may not necessarily be at stake, the question is whether these formulations are prescribed for valid medical reasons or driven by commercial motives.
"Some drug combinations are needed in certain therapeutic segments like tuberculosis, malaria or diabetes, but there are many combinations which are obviously irrational," Venkateshwarlu says.
But when the federal government finally acts on the Board's recommendation, that too could also be challenged in the courts.
Source: Medindia
GPL/V
Advertisement
The official, a no-nonsense man, is of the view that while the safety of the combinations may not necessarily be at stake, the question is whether these formulations are prescribed for valid medical reasons or driven by commercial motives.
"Some drug combinations are needed in certain therapeutic segments like tuberculosis, malaria or diabetes, but there are many combinations which are obviously irrational," Venkateshwarlu says.
But when the federal government finally acts on the Board's recommendation, that too could also be challenged in the courts.
Source: Medindia
GPL/V
Advertisement
Advertisement
|
Advertisement
Recommended Reading
Latest Drug News

Addressing the unmet needs of Parkinson's Disease by providing disease-modifying therapies could bring about a major shift in the way that patients are treated.

Microrobots could swirl through a person's blood stream, search for targeted areas to treat for various ailments.

Supplementation with multivitamins is an inexpensive way for older adults to slow down memory loss.

Some people with an aggressive blood cancer called acute myeloid leukemia (AML) may soon have a new drug option called Ivosidenib that blocks the activity of IDH1 gene.

In case of cardiac failure where the ejection fraction is greater than 40%, sacubitril/valsartan can prove to be quite beneficial