Apollo Pharmacy resumes selling Ranbaxy drugs

Mumbai: Apollo Pharmacy started selling Ranbaxy drugs at its stores again on Monday after the company recertified its stocks. Apollo Pharmacy had on Friday issued a cautionary advisory against Ranbaxy drugs and had temporarily suspended their sale. Earlier, Mumbai's Jaslok Hospital had also stopped the use of Ranbaxy drugs.

"Our medical committee, which is a very strong committee within Apollo, has reviewed the matter and recommended, as a cautionary measure, we should temporarily suspend sale of Ranbaxy medicines, as we cannot take a chance with patients' safety. So, we have immediately issued an advisory to our pharmacies," Apollo Hospitals Executive Director Shobana Kamineni told Business Standard.

She added Apollo had sent a questionnaire to Ranbaxy seeking details, including re-certification of the existing stock and test reports for other medicines. "We have nothing against Ranbaxy but we must respect what our medical committee has ordered... We have asked them (Ranbaxy) to re-certify whatever stocks we have till now. We have also asked for test reports of all those drugs and a bunch of other details," Kamineni said, adding Apollo's pharmacies would restart sale of Ranbaxy drugs after the company had fulfilled the requirements and satisfied the medical committee.

Apollo Pharmacy had on Friday issued a cautionary advisory against Ranbaxy drugs and had temporarily suspended their sale.

Ranbaxy, which is owned by Japan's Daiichi Sankyo, has maintained that its drugs in the global market, including India, are safe. Earlier, the pharma giant had agreed to pay $500 million in settlement for making and selling adulterated drugs for over four years in the US. However, a Public-interest litigation (PIL) was moved in the Supreme Court against Ranbaxy Pharma on Thursday. The PIL has sought prosecution of all Ranbaxy directors and sealing of its manufacturing units at Paonta Sahib in Himachal Pradesh and Dewas in Madhya Pradesh.

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Apollo Pharmacy resumes selling Ranbaxy drugs