Licensing authority lifts ban on Ramdev’s Patanjali drugs within 3 days

The Uttarakhand Ayurveda and Unani Licensing Authority has revoked an earlier order asking yoga guru Ramdev’s Divya Pharmacy to stop the production of five medicines. On Saturday, it issued a fresh order, allowing the firm to continue the production of these five medicines — for diabetes, blood pressure, goitre, glaucoma, and high cholesterol.

The drug controller of the state health authority, GCN Jangpangi, said there was an “error” in the previous order dated November 9 and that it was issued in haste. “We should have given the company time to explain its stand before issuing the order,” he claimed.

The action was taken after a Kerala-based ophthalmologist, KV Babu, filed a complaint accusing Divya Pharmacy of violating the Drugs and Magic Remedies (objectionable advertisement) Act and the Drugs and Cosmetic Act. Babu lodged the first complaint in July and followed it up with another via email on October 11.

Divya Pharmacy is the manufacturing unit of Ramdev’s brand Patanjali Ayurved.

Also read: Supreme Court pulls up Baba Ramdev for his remarks against allopathy

Row over advertisement

In the first order, the authority had asked Divya Pharmacy to stop the production of Bpgrit, Madhugrit, Thyrogrit, Lipidom tablets, and Eyegrit Gold tablets. It had directed the company to submit revised label claims and seek fresh approvals for each, citing “repeated contraventions” of rules on drug advertisements. It had said the company could restart manufacturing these products only after the authority’s approval of their revised formulation sheets.

On November 10, Divya Pharmacy had described the order as part of a “conspiracy” by an “anti-ayurveda mafia.” Citing a 2019 Bombay High Court order, it argued that the rules prohibiting advertisements of certain drugs do not apply to ayurvedic medicines. The HC had stayed Rule 170, which the Centre introduced in 2018 to curb inappropriate advertisements of ayurveda, siddha, and unani drugs.

Also read: COVID-19 drug name missing in license form, complaint against Ramdev

Ramdev’s aide Acharya Balkrishna thanked the state government for rectifying the error.

(With agency inputs)