2 min readMay 30, 2013 03:18 AM IST
First published on: May 30, 2013 at 03:18 AM IST
Following a circular by Jaslok Hospital,doctors at the premier private hospital in south Mumbai have stopped prescribing Ranbaxy Laboratories products. However,other major hospitals in the city are not following suit and waiting for a decision from the state Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
The development comes a fortnight after Ranbaxy USA Inc,a subsidiary of the Indian generic drug manufacturer,pleaded guilty before the United States Department of Justice to felony charges relating to the manufacture and distribution of certain adulterated drugs made at two of the company’s units in India. Ranbaxy has agreed to pay a criminal fine and forfeiture totaling $150 million and to settle civil claims under the False Claims Act and related state laws for $350 million.
“We have stopped issuing all Ranbaxy products with immediate effect. The existing stocks are also in the process of being given back to the company”,reads the Jaslok advisory to doctors and drug store.
A senior doctor at Jaslok said,“We have been abiding by the advisory. We do not know what the issue is,but the hospital must have its reasons.”
A spokesperson for the hospital said,“This is an internal circular. The CEO would not like to comment on it.”
A Ranbaxy Laboratories spokesperson said,“We are in conversation with the hospital. Jaslok has sought a few clarifications,for which we are providing answers.”
Other major hospitals such as Breach Candy,Lilavati and P D Hinduja have said they are going by the state FDA’s stance. “Usually,the decision to stop the use of a brand of medicines is taken by the FDA. Hospitals stop prescribing these medicines and pharmacists subsequently stop supply,” said medical director of P D Hinduja,Dr Gustad Daver.
A senior FDA official said,“The case pertains to a specific batch of pharma products manufactured in 2005 and 2006. We are unsure if this batch is in circulation in the country but are not going to ban the brand without facts. We are conducting regular checks.”
alison.saldanha@expressindia.com
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