The Federation of Medical and Sales Representatives Associations of India (FMRAI) has passed a resolution against Drugs Control General of India’s recent decision to ban certain drugs produced and marketed in the country. The Federation passed the resolution in this regard in its general council meeting that held in Kota in Rajasthan last week.
According to FMRAI, the DCGI is deliberately creating ground for MNCs to capture markets for certain segments of drugs which have been in use and in circulation for several years in India.
Recently, the Union health ministry has banned four drugs based on the recommendations by Drugs Technical Advisory Board. The unsafe drugs are nimesulide, cisapride, phenylpropanolamine (PPA) and placentrex. FMRAI office-bearers said these drugs have been banned by the ministry without making a proper scientific study on each of the drug.
While quoting placentrex as an example, the office-bearers said it has been manufactured and marketed in India by the Kolkota based company Albert David for more than fifty years. The medicine was available in the form of lotion, gel, and injection and being actively promoted as a remedy for a variety of unrelated disorders such as vitiligo, wound dressing, prevention of adverse effects due to radiotherapy, fallopian tube blockage, female infertility, scarring, post-phlebitic ulcers, scars due to acne, etc. For conducting surgery, orthopaedic treatments and in gynaecology also this medicine was being used widely.
One medical representative of Albert David said he is marketing this medicine in Tamil Nadu for several years and so far no doctor has suspected its safety and no adverse effect has been reported. He said the company, which has a turnover of 70-80 crores, has got more than 350 medical representatives and it employs about 750 people in various capacities. The ban of placentrex will make these employees and representatives jobless, he believes.
The resolution of FMRAI says comprehensive and scientific studies should be conducted to ban the use of any drug. It alleges that the present ban on four drugs is because of pressure from vested interests which will adversely affects the nation’s economy and the pharma industry.