Two public Interest Litigations (PIL) have been filed against to restrict unapproved usage of Letrozole, the anti-cancer drug, for different indications and promoting it as an infertility drug in Jharkhand High Court, following the recent controversy related to Sun Pharma marketing Letrozole as a fertility drug, it is learnt.

A PIL was jointly filed before the Jharkhand High Court on January 24, by the All India Democratic Women’s Association (AIDWA) of Jharkhand and Professor (Dr.) Ramesh Saran of the Department of Economics and Dr. Prabhath Kumar Singh of the Department of Anthropology of Ranchi University. The petitioners have made the Government of India, Director General of Police of Jharkhand, Superintendents of Police of Ranchi and Jamshedpur, and Sun Pharma as the respondents in the case.

The PIL said that Letrozole was aggressively promoted by Sun Pharma, and it was still being prescribed, purchased and sold despite the advisory sent to the State Governments and a serious warning issued by the Government of India to Sun Pharmaceuticals for using the drug for unapproved indications. The petitioners also have informed the court they were in possession of relevant documents on sales promotion, prescription, sale receipts of Letoval which is the branded product of Sun Pharma. The petitioners also have pointed out two doctors from the Jharkhand region were involved in the trials conducted by Sun Pharma, said sources.

Sources also said a similar PIL was filed in the Delhi High Court by another NGO, the Delhi based Social Jurist, against unapproved clinical trial of Letrozole for female fertility by a group of doctors arranged by Sun Pharma and Dabur (India) Ltd. Social Jurist also had written to the Medical Council of India detailing the issue and the unethical violation of code of conduct to the followed by the doctors, said sources.