VicksAction500 banned in
India:
FMCG firm Procter and Gamble (P&G)
has discontinued manufacture and sale of its popular brand ‘Vicks Action 500
Extra’ with immediate effect after the government banned fixed dose combination
drugs.
“The Government of India
has prohibited the manufacture for sale, sale and distribution of fixed dose
combination drugs (Paracetamol + Phenylephrine + Caffeine) with immediate
effect,” P&G said in a BSE filing.
It further said: “Our
product ‘Vicks Action 500 Extra’ has the same fixed dose combination and gets
covered under notification. we have discontinued the manufacture and sale of
all SKUs of ‘Vicks Action 500 Extra with immediate effect.”
Yesterday, drug majors
Pfizer and Abbott stopped sale of their popular cough syrups Corex and
Phensedyl respectively, after the government banned over 300 fixed dose
combinations (FDCs) drugs.
The two companies, however,
said they are exploring “all options” to counter the impact of ban.
Pfizer said it has stopped
the sale of its Corex cough syrup that garnered sales of Rs 176 crore in the
nine-month period ended December 31, and said the government’s move will have
an adverse impact on it.
“The company is exploring
all available options at its disposal... The prohibition is likely to have an
adverse impact on the revenue and profitability of the company,” Pfizer had
said in a BSE filing.
In view of the government
ban on manufacture and sale of Corex, the “company has discontinued the
manufacture and sale of it’s drug ‘Corex’ with immediate effect,” Pfizer said
adding that Corex has a well established efficacy and safety profile in India
for more then 30 years.
Abbott also stopped sale of
its Phensedyl cough syrup.
When contacted a company
spokesperson said: “Abbott is
complying with all legal
requirements related to the government notification.”
The company termed the
Health Ministry’s decision to ban “certain fixed dose combinations drugs that
have been already approved” as an “unilateral approach”.
“Abbott has reviewed the
DCGI notification and we are concerned about the unilateral approach in
prohibiting the manufacture, sale and distribution of certain fixed dose
combinations that have already been approved for use by DCGI.
“We are evaluating the
notification and exploring all available options,” the spokesperson said.
Some of these formulations
have been the treatment of choice in specific medical conditions, Abbott said.
“We are concerned that
patients may not have access to some medicines which have been approved by DCGI
and safely and effectively used in India for years,” Abbott spokesperson said.
In a gazette notification
on March 10, the government had, among others, banned manufacture, sale and
distribution of fixed does combination of chlopheniramine maleate plus codiene
syrup which is used in the cough syrups.
Courtesy: http://www.newsnation.in
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