The Madras High Court has once again adjourned the case related to CoPP for January 18 for further hearing. The case, which came up for hearing on January 8, has been dragging on in the Madras High Court for a final decision for the last about three months.

This is the sixth time the High Court is postponing the case to a further date. Government pleader G Sankaran, who is appearing in the court for the case on behalf for the state government, told Pharmabiz that the court had adjourned the case for the counsel’s convenience. The petitioner, the drug control officers association of Tamil Nadu, has asked some more time for engaging some senior advocates to argue the case, said the government pleader.

The case came up for hearing at first on November 18 and was postponed to November 25. On that day, in the absence of the petitioner, the court had moved the case to December 2. But the Government pleader on December 2 pleaded for some more time in the court which again caused to post it for December 9, when the court after hearing the argument posted the case for December 21. The case was again adjourned for January 8 this year.

Meanwhile the Drug Controller General of India has issued an order to the CDSCO zonal, sub-zonal offices and to the state drug controllers to maintain the status quo on the issuance of CoPP until a final decision is come out from the Madras High Court.

The Court had passed an interim stay order on October 13 restraining the implementation of the DCGI’s circular dated 01.09.2009 informing all the State Drug Controllers that the WHO-GMP CoPP would be issued by his offices from October 1 last year.