The no-holds-barred advertisements being aired in the national and regional electronic media on the two brands of morning-after-pills 'Unwanted 72' and 'I-Pill' promoted by prominent pharma companies in the country, Mankind Pharma and Cipla respectively, may end soon as the Union Health Ministry has decided to put a blanket ban on these advertisements, it is learnt.

Sources said that the ministry is likely to put in force the ban in a week's time as the formalities are being completed for the ban.

According to sources, the ministry has decided to ban the advertisements as the expert committee, which took stock of the issue, was of the opinion that the advertisements of these pills being carried by the pharma companies are promoting the misuse of the pill by the young generation who have started looking at the pills as a regular contraceptive method as the advertisements are said to have failed to drive home the message clearly that these pills are emergency contraceptives.

Ever since the advertisements began appearing on the electronic media some time back across the country, both the civil society organisations and gynaecologists in the country have been expressing concern on the misuse of the pill by the young generation. It triggered a debate in sexually conservative India with critics arguing that the easy availability of such pills would encourage promiscuity among the millions of young people. There was also criticism that the easy availability of these drugs will also promote unsafe sex among younger generation and may result in promotion of diseases like HIV/AIDS in the country.

When the hue and cry became louder, the drug authorities decided to refer the issue to the DTAB under the union health ministry. The DTAB was asked to review whether to allow the drug as OTC or not. Besides, if the drug is to be allowed to retain its present status of OTC drug, the DTAB was asked to deliberate whether to allow the drug companies the freedom to advertise in the media.

The issue was deliberated threadbare by an expert panel of the ministry, which was formed in the Drugs Technical Advisory Board (DTAB) meeting in its meeting on November 9 this year. In the DTAB meeting, which was presided over by the director general of Health Services, it was decided not to disturb the status of the emergency contraceptive pills immediately. However, the Board set up a sub-committee with two gynaecologists, a member of Federation of Obstetric Societies of India (FOGSI), one person from the Ministry of Information & Broadcasting and a pharmacologist as members.