The Maharashtra Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has issued a four-day suspension order to Ranbaxy, restraining the company from selling, manufacturing or marketing its products in the state. The suspension order was issued for a period from June 18 to 21 after the state regulatory authority found that the company was flouting the rules under the Drugs and Cosmetics (D&C) Act by not maintaining proper storage conditions for storing their products.

The suspension order was issued under section 66 (1) of the D&C Act, 1940 by S R Salunke, assistant commissioner, FDA, with a view to ensure public safety.

However, Narendra Jain, general secretary of the Maharashtra Chemists & Distributors Federation (MCDF), who had played an instrumental role in informing the drug authorities about the poor storage conditions of the company, said that he is not at all contend with the FDA's action as issuing four-day suspension was not enough punishment rendered for such a gross violation of law.

Jain informed that during a separate investigation by his federation, it was discovered that the company had been overlooking safety issues by not taking necessary precautions while storing and packing the drugs, exposing the products to potential contamination risks.

Over the time, the federation had informed the company about the issue. In fact, the federation had also suggested the company to take steps to maintain and update its storage facility according to the required standards. This was done keeping in mind the public interest at large, so that quality of the drugs was not compromised in the process, Jain said.