The Ayush Ministry has issued a warning to all Ayurvedic, Siddha, Unani and Homeopathy manufacturers to strictly adhere to labeling and advertising regulations and may face legal action in case of non-compliance. be.
After the Supreme Court slammed Patanjali Ayurveda for misleading advertisements, the ministry has issued a statement saying that Ayurveda, homeopathy, or other traditional medicines are “100% safe,” “guaranteed treatments,” or There has been an increased emphasis on advertising that claims “permanent treatment.”
The ministry has criticized unsubstantiated claims, such as featuring a “green logo” claiming to be “100% vegetarian” or falsely stating that the drug is “approved or certified by the ministry.” News 18 reported on April 27, 2017, that the company explained about products that display false information.
The ministry has asked manufacturers to “strictly adhere” to labeling regulations and advertisements for Ayurvedic, Unani, Siddha and homeopathic medicines.
“Misleading claims or advertisements in any form or platform may result in legal action by the competent authorities,” the advisory said.
The ministry has directed state drug licensing authorities to inspect all medicines that claim to be “certified or approved by the Ministry of Ayush” on their labels or advertisements to ensure compliance.
“The Ministry of Ayush has been informed that some drug manufacturers in the Ministry of Ayush have included ‘certified or approved by the Ministry of Ayush’ on the labels of their medicines and products or in advertisements in print and electronic media,” the ministry said. said.
The ministry has clarified that it has no role in granting manufacturing licenses or approvals for Ayush medicines or products, but any future such claims on labels or advertisements will “ultimately result in the agency being identified as the manufacturer.” “This will trigger legal action against those who do so.” Ayush”.
look out for false claims
This recommendation is false for products that claim to be “100% safe”, “no side effects”, “certain treatment”, “permanent cure”, or products that claim that Ayush’s medicines and products have value as nutritional supplements. said.
It further added that the approval by the State Drug Licensing Board “should not be construed as an approval by the Ministry of Ayush”. It added that the licenses issued by state authorities are only permissions to manufacture or sell specific medicines or products, subject to fulfillment of conditions under the Drugs and Cosmetics Act, 1940.
This advisory has been communicated to several authorities, including Ayush Drug Licensing Authorities of all states, and all licensees under their jurisdiction have been requested to forward copies thereof. Also marked are all Ayush pharmaceutical companies and their associations.
This information is also sent to the National Pharmacovigilance Coordination Center, which monitors and designs the safety profile of medicines. The Center has been asked to “ensure that any such claims of approval or certification by the Ministry of Ayush are reported to the concerned National Licensing Authority on the intimate knowledge of the Ministry of Ayush”.
law
The other half of this recommendation refers to several laws that have provisions for the labeling of Ayurvedic, Siddha and Unani (ASU) medicines. “Rule 106A of the Drugs and Cosmetics Rules, 1945 has provisions for labeling of homeopathic medicines,” the report said.
It also highlighted that the provisions relating to advertisements containing drugs in Ayush are prescribed under the Drugs and Magical Remedies (Offensive Advertisements) Act, 1954.
“In addition to these, the Consumer Protection Act of 2019; the Cable Television Networks Act of 1995; and the Emblem and Name (Anti-Misuse) Act of 1950 are among the few laws or regulations that have provisions regulating misleading advertising. Yes,” he said.