The Supreme Court on February 21, 2019, lifted the ban imposed on the popular painkiller Saridon a healthcare product of Piramal Enterprises Ltd.
The order came following a ban that was imposed on September 12, 2018, by the Ministry of Health on the manufacturing for sale or distribution of 328 fixed-dose combination (FDC) drugs. The banned medicines included Piramals Saridon.
The decision to ban the medicines was taken by the government on the basis of safety issues and lack of therapeutic justification.
After the imposition of the ban, Piramal had obtained a stay order from the Supreme Court which allowed it to continue manufacturing, distribution and sale of the FDC drug.
The present order of the apex court exempts the formulation of Saridon from the list of banned FDCs.
Commenting on the Supreme Court ruling, Nandini Piramal, executive director, Piramal Enterprises Ltd., said that We are pleased with the Supreme Court ruling, as it is an affirmation to our commitment to provide effective and safe healthcare solutions that address unique needs of Indian consumers. We were confident that the law would prevail in our favour. Saridon is a heritage brand trusted by customers for the last 50 years in India. This exemption from the banned list of FDCs validates our intent to serve our customers with the highest levels of integrity. We continue to expand our healthcare product portfolio with an aim to be amongst the top three OTC (over-the-counter) product companies in India by 2020, she added.
