The Health Ministry of India has banned more than 300 fixed-dose combination drugs (FDCs) that have been widely available in the market.
Senior health ministry official K.L. Sharma says the ban will take effect in a few days, but did not provide further information about other details.
"We are happy this will stop the misuse of the medicine," says drug controller Akun Sabharwal from the southern state of Telangana.
Fixed-Dose Combination Drugs (FDCs)
FDCs are two or more medicines combined in one pill.
In 2014, the Indian government formed a panel to review over 6,000 FDCs that were able to penetrate the market after approval from individual state regulators only and not from the central government, which is legally necessary.
Pfizer, Abbott Drugs Included In The Ban
Included in the list of banned drugs are Abbott's Phensedyl and Pfizer's Corex. Both are widely used cough syrups made up of codeine and chlorpheniramine maleate.
These medicines along with 342 more are said to have no therapeutic justifications.
The shares of the companies' Indian units have already taken a dip as it fell by 5 percent on Monday.
Pfizer India has already announced that it had stopped selling Corex, while Abbott is yet to give a statement about Phensedyl.
Corex has provided Pfizer with 1.76 billion rupees ($26.29 million) in sales in nine months.
Phensedyl takes up approximately one-third of the entire Indian cough syrup market. The sales of this medicine is said to contribute to more than 3 percent of the entire company revenue of $1 billion in India.
Antibiotic Combinations
The Health Ministry also included antibiotic combinations in the list of banned drugs. One product affected by the ban is Abbott's Zimnic AZ, which is a combination of cefixime and azithromycin.
Abbott is not the only firm to manufacture such drug combination in India as about 15 more companies also produce this drug.
Medical representatives from Abbott said that Zimnic AZ has been promoted for a wide array of indications such as fevers, colds, urinary tract infections and even sexually transmitted diseases. The drug is also said to be used by patients to prevent post-surgery infections and lung problems.
Medical experts, however, said that this antibiotic combination is very risky and some indications, particularly that of colds, is not sound.
Clinicians and other health professionals say improper administration of antibiotic combinations may be adding up to the burden of antibiotic resistance in the country. In fact, superbugs or strains of pathogens that have grown resistant to antibiotics have been discovered among individuals who have travelled from India to nations such as Britain and the U.S.
Photo : Steven Depolo | Flickr
