Mumbai, September 17: After the government's ban on 328 combination drugs last week, the Supreme Court has allowed the sale of Saridon and two other drugs for now. The top court's order came after the drug maker filed a petition against the ban. Skin cream Panderm and painkiller Saridon were among the fixed-combination drugs banned by the government to stop their "irrational use". While banning the drugs, the health ministry added that these medicines do not add any benefits for people taking them. Health Ministry Bans 328 Fixed Drug Combinations Due To Safety Concerns

The government said, “The Drugs Technical Advisory Board recommended, amongst other things, that there is no therapeutic justification for the ingredients contained in 328 FDCs and that these FDCs may involve risk to human beings. The board recommended that it is necessary to prohibit the manufacture, sale or distribution of these FDCs under Section 26A of the Drugs and Cosmetics Act, 1940, in the larger public interest.”

The ministry of health on September 12 banned the manufacture, sale and distribution of 328 fixed-dose combinations (FDC) drugs, including Saridon, D Cold Total with immediate effect.

Since then major pharma companies were challenging centre's decision and claimed that the only reason given in the government's notification was that the combination had “no therapeutic value.”

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Sep 17, 2018 02:51 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).