The central government has immediately banned the manufacture, sale and distribution of 16 fixed-dose combination (FDC) drugs, as they have no scientific justification and are hazardous to patient health. The decision follows a Supreme Court directive, which includes common medicines like painkillers, antibiotics and skincare products.
Bans On Fixed Dose Combination Drugs:Central government has taken an important step keeping the life and health of common people as paramount. The Union Health Ministry has banned the manufacture, sale and distribution of 16 fixed-dose combination (FDC) drugs in the country with immediate effect.
Along with this, the government has clarified that these drugs have no scientific or medical justification. It cannot be considered beneficial in any way to maintain the use of a drug which endangers the patient’s life. Fixed-dose formulations are those in which two or more active pharmaceutical ingredients (active pharmaceutical ingredients-API) are mixed in a fixed proportion.
A lax scientific approach to hazards
This decision is not just an administrative order but a very sensitive and necessary step related to the safety of crores of patients. This decision has come after the Supreme Court’s directive to review the fixed dose medicine. The Drugs Technical Advisory Board (DTAB) constituted a committee of experts to scrutinize the combination of these drugs.
Some drugs have been banned
Prohibited drugs are widespread. Which is directly related to common man to cooking and medical kit. These include daily painkillers, antibiotics, muscle relaxants and skin related products. The restricted list includes heavy combinations such as ethoheptazine with acetyl salicylic acid, and dicyclomine, clidinium bromide with paracetamol. Apart from this, several antibiotic formulations such as Amoxicillin and Serratiopeptidase and skincare formulations containing Aloe Vera, Vitamin E, Jojoba Oil and Tea Tree Oil have been banned.
