The Indian government has banned 156 fixed-dose combination (FDC) drugs, which include antibiotics, painkillers, multivitamins, and medications for treating fever and hypertension. This is a significant move towards protecting public health.
This ruling represents the biggest attack on FDCs since 344 of these medications were outlawed in 2016. The production, distribution, and sale of the outlawed FDCs were formally outlawed on Thursday by a gazette notification issued by the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.
An expert panel that examined a total of 324 FDCs made recommendations that led to the ban.
Effects on the Pharmaceutical Sector
“India outlaws 156 medications, including multivitamins, antibiotics, and painkillers.”
Among the commonly used combinations that are prohibited are injections of mefenamic acid and paracetamol, which are used to treat fever and pain, and omeprazole magnesium with dicyclomine HCl, which is used to treat abdominal pain.Significant pharmaceutical firms including Sun Pharmaceuticals, Cipla, Dr. Reddy’s Laboratories, Torrent Pharmaceuticals, and Alkem Laboratories are anticipated to be impacted by the ban.
Source: Economic Times
