Following the ban on over 150 cocktail drugs, all eyes are on the next move of top pharmaceutical brands like Cipla and JB Pharma as they also sell medicines which fall under the banned category.
The central government has banned 156 cocktail drugs, also known as Fixed Dose Combinations (FDCs) — many of which you might have at home. These banned products include those used for hair growth, skin care, pain relief, cold and flu medicines, multivitamins, antiparasitic, antiallergic, antibiotics and more.
Fixed-dose combinations (FDCs) are medicines that combine more than one drug in a single pill and are also referred to as “cocktail” medicines.
The list in the ban notification issued by the government includes a combination of “Cetirizine + Paracetamol+ Phenylephrine” which is one of the popular combinations used in the treatment of common cold and used to relieve symptoms such as runny nose, sneezing, pain and fever.
Under this category, Cipla sells Cheston Cold as well as Alerid Cold. The brand ‘Cheston Cold’ featured among the “anchor consumer brands in India” list in an investor presentation of the Mumbai-based drugmaker in 2022. The brand registered 33 per cent year-on-year growth in 2022. JB Pharma’s Ifimol 3C also falls under the same combination. Tweaking the dosage a bit, Glenmark’s Glenrest Cold also uses the same combination.
Another combination of “Aceclofenac (50mg) + Paracetamol (125mg)” part of the list is sold by several drug makers to lower fever, body pain and inflammation among infants and children – both in tablet and syrup format. Intas Pharmaceuticals’ Nimucet AF Suspension is a popular brand in this category.
News18 attempted to contact all of these drug manufacturers via email and messages to understand which brands are affected and their potential next steps, but received no replies. This story will be updated if any of the pharmaceutical companies respond.
Drugmakers Silent But Their Lobbies Support Move
While drugmakers continue to evaluate the impact of the government’s announcement on their products and revenues, their lobbies support the government’s move of banning FDCs calling it a move in the right direction and public interest.
According to Sudarshan Jain, Secretary-General of India’s largest lobby of domestic drug makers, the Indian Pharmaceutical Alliance (IPA) “the discussion on FDC is going on over a period of time with recommendation from Kokate committee and Nilima Kshirsagar committee.”
“This is a right step in the interest of patients and all aspects have been taken into consideration,” he told News18 on Thursday when the list of banned FDCs was released.
IPA represents top pharma companies in India including Cipla, Alkem, Glenmark, Intas, Ipca, Lupin, and Sun Pharma among others.
Similarly, the lobby of 100 generic drug makers have requested Union Health Minister JP Nadda for permission to sell already manufactured stock of prohibited FDCs with a commitment to cease further production.
According to the letter by the Indian Federation of Pharma Generics (IFPG), dated 22 August, the lobby “fully understands and respects the government’s concern for public health and safety, and we are committed to complying with the prohibition on further manufacturing of these FDC formulations.”
“However, as responsible stakeholders in the pharmaceutical industry, we wish to humbly request permission to sell the already manufactured stock of these formulations that are currently in our inventory.”
The letter written by Gyanesh Jeswal, general secretary, IFPG, raised the concern that “with the removal of these products from the market, there could be a temporary shortage of affordable alternatives, especially in regions where these FDCs were widely prescribed, potentially affecting patient care.”
A list of well-known drugmakers including Intas and Glenmark are members of IFPG, according to the member list on the association’s website.
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