The Karnataka High Court issued yet another stay order yesterday suspending the DCGI directive asking grant of WHO-GMP Certificate of Pharmaceutical Products (CoPP) by the CDSCO through its zonal and sub-zonal offices. The stay order is for a period of four weeks.

Justice Ajit Gunjal was hearing the writ petition (No. 30513/2009/GM RES) filed by Karnataka Drugs & Pharmaceutical Manufacture's Association. The respondents to the petition are the CDCSO and the Karnataka Drugs Controller.

The repeated stay orders from courts is an indication that the Union Health Ministry has failed to comprehend the logistics of the centralizing the issue of CoPP, an industry source here said.

This is the third stay order against the DCGI order in this controversial matter. The first stay against DCGI directive was granted by the Madras High Court last Tuesday after hearing a petition filed by the Tamil Nadu Drug Inspectors Association. This was followed by another stay order granted by the Madras High Court on Thursday following a petition filed by the Federation of South Indian Pharmaceutical Manufacturers Association against DCGI .