The Maharashtra state Food and Drugs Administration on Saturday night raided the premises of three stockists of the Chennai based Conybio Healthcare, which markets various lifestyle products with unproven therapeutic claims, in Mumbai. The FDA officials confirmed that a sizable amount of stocks have been seized from all these premises located at Ghatkopar, Vikroli and a location in the Western suburbs. Following an alert from the Gujarat Food and Drug Control Administration and the West zone office of the Central Drug Standard Control Organization (CDSCO), the FDA was organizing a surprise raid at these premises.
Last week, the Gujarat FDCA had seized various products, promoted and marketed by Conybio, claiming to be curing serious human diseases. The FDCA has also ordered the company to stop publication and distribution of its pamphlets claiming to cure diabetes, blood pressure, parkinsonism, spondylitis, paralysis, piles, cancer etc. through Far Infrared Rays. The FDCA action was in response to a complaint made by the Consumer Education and Research Society (CERS), Ahmedabad, exposing the false and misleading claims of the company.
It is learnt that the Maharshtra FDA would soon announce a red alert in the state against marketing of these fake products and also would initiate a public awareness campaign to prevent innocent people getting trapped in the false claims of the company through multi-level marketing. The Gujarat FDCA commissioner has already ordered seizure of the products and the promotional materials.
Confirming the raids in Mumbai, the Dr. M Venkateswarlu, Deputy Drug Controller (India) West Zone, and the FDA officials said that they have got adequate evidences to prove that the company is making false therapeutic claims on the their life style products to sell these normally cheaper products at exorbitantly high prices to lay public.
Talking to Pharmabiz, SP Adeshara, commissioner, Gujarat FDCA, also confirmed that when asked for scientific explanation from the company to substantiate their claims, the company representatives could not give any such details and confirmed that the products have never been tested in any of the scientific or medical institutions to prove the claims.
In the meanwhile, the CDSCO officials in Mumbai said that the Department would initiate a nationwide operation to seize Conybio products under the Section 3 (d) of the Drugs and Magic Remedies (Objectionable Advertisements) Act, 1954 as the products are not approved as drugs at the same time the claims are under the purview of the Act.
The company is currently selling in the market sun shade to cure migraine and sun stroke, socks for acidity, pillow covers for spondylitis, palm guards for Parkinson's disease, eye-shade for sinusitis, T-shirts for high and low blood pressure, short pants that cure gas, acidity, prostate, piles, urinary system problems, ladies briefs for menstrual problems, bed sheets for paralysis strokes and brassieres for breast cancer. The company is reportedly having a sales turnover of Rs. 8 to 10 crore a month from across the country.
In Gujarat, the assistant commissioner, Food and Drug Control Administration, Valsad, had come across more than 30 such products of the company. Apart form prohibiting the sale of these products, the FDCA has ordered the manufacturers and stockists to stop distribution of the objectionable pamphlets and sale of the goods.
In the meanwhile, the Ahmedabad based NGO and customer action group, CERS had drawn notice of the drug authorities and the Advertising Standards Council of India, New Delhi that the claims made by the company go against Schedule J of the Drugs and Cosmetics Rules, 1945, as well as Section 3 (d) of the Drugs and Magic Remedies (Objectionable Advertisements) Act, 1954.