The Uttarakhand State Drug Licensing Authority has filed a case in a Haridwar court against Baba Ramdev-owned Patanjali Ayurved and Divya Pharmacy, which markets its products, for placing misleading advertisements in the media showing scant regard for official warnings.
This follows a complaint lodged by Kannur-based RTI activist and ophthalmologist K.V. Babu with the Prime Minister’s office in January, which was redirected to the Uttarakhand authority. Dr. Babu had pointed out that Patanjali Ayurved was found to have placed misleading advertisements in December 2023 despite promising the Supreme Court in November 2023 that it would not violate any law, especially those related to advertising or branding of its products.
According to the Drugs and Magic Remedies (Objectionable Advertisements) Act, 1954, “no person shall take any part in the publication of any advertisement referring to any drug in terms which suggest or are calculated to lead to the use of that drug for the diagnosis, cure, mitigation, treatment or prevention of any disease, disorder or condition specified in the Schedule, or any other disease, disorder or condition [by whatsoever name called] which may be specified in the rules made under the Act.”
In an RTI reply to Dr. Babu on April 23, Mithilesh Kumar, Joint Director, Uttarakhand State Drug Licensing Authority, Ayurvedic and Unani Services, said that a case had been filed against the operators of the pharmacy in the court of the Chief Judicial Magistrate, Haridwar, on April 16. Also, the authority suspended the manufacturing licences of 14 products of Patanjali Ayurved and Divya Pharmacy under Rule 159(1) of the Drugs and Cosmetics Rules, 1945, on April 15. They are ‘Swasari Gold’, ‘Swasari Vati, Bronchom’, ‘Swasari Pravahi’, ‘Swasari Avaleh’, ‘Mukta Vati Extra Power’, ‘Lipidom’, ‘Bp Grit’, ‘Madhugrit’, ‘Madhunashini Vati Extra Power’, ‘Livamrit Advance’, ‘Livogrit’, ‘Eyegrit Gold’, and ‘Patanjali Drishti Eye Drop’.
Mr. Kumar also pointed out that complaints had also been filed by the Union AYUSH Ministry against the company. Even after issuing warnings, misleading advertisements related to certain medicines had been made by the said pharmacies and the orders given by the State Drug Licensing Authority under the Drugs and Cosmetics Act were being disregarded. The company may file an appeal against the suspension with the Uttarakhand government in three months.
