Delhi High court quashes centre's ban on 344 combination drugs

Delhi High court quashes centre's ban on 344 combination drugs , The Delhi High Court on Thursday quashed the central government’s order to ban 344 Fixed Dose Combinations (FDC).  The ban, notified on March 10, included several popular brands, including Corex, Phensedyl and Vicks Action 500 Extra.

A fixed dose combination (FDC) is a cocktail drug that contains two or more therapeutic ingredients packed in one single dose. The concept is widely accepted in global markets due to the advantages of lower cost and patient convenience.

The Delhi High Court was hearing the cases filed by various pharmaceutical companies after the central government decided to ban 344 Fixed Dose Combinations earlier this year. The verdict was given by Justice Rajiv Sahai Endlaw. 

The controversy arose after the central government issued a notification on March 10 pursuant to the Kokate Committee report banning 344 FDCs, leading most large pharmaceutical manufacturers including Pfizer, Abbott, GlaxoSmithKline and Cipla to immediately challenge the move in the Delhi High Court. The Kokate committee had observed that these Fixed Dose combinations did not have any therapeutic justification. 

The court first heard the petitions on March 14 and provided the manufacturers interim relief by allowing them to continue production and sale of the notified FDCs on  grounds that the drugs sought to be banned had been in the market for several decades and the notification itself did not make out a case of extreme urgency.