Centre to impose restrictions on ads by agents of Ayurvedic, Sidhha or Unani drugs
Kolkata: The Centre is going to impose restrictions on the publication of any advertisement by the manufacturers or agents of Ayurvedic, Sidhha or Unani drugs across the country. It would also urge the state governments to implement certain norms in this regard.
The Ministry of Ayurveda, Yoga and Naturopathy, Unani, Sidhha and Homeopathy made some changes in the Drugs and Cosmetics Rules, 1945 through Drugs and Cosmetics (Eleventh Amendment) Rules, 2018.
The manufacturers and agents of Ayurvedic, Sidhha or Unani drugs will not be allowed to float advertisements related to any drug that are used for diagnosis, cure, mitigation, treatment or prevention of any diseases or disorders without validating from the competent authorities.
The manufacturers of these drugs must have to apply for the Unique Identification Number for the publication of advertisements. They will not be allowed to publish advertisements within the period of three months from the date of application of this notification.
The application for the allotment of the Unique Identification Number for an advertisement shall be submitted to the state licencing authorities or drug controller specifying the claims made in the advertisements that must be adhere to safety, quality and effectiveness of the drugs. The applications must be submitted to the licencing authorities of the state where the corporate offices of the manufacturers are located.
The state licencing authorities will process the application for disposal within thirty days from the date of receipt of the application and they will allot Unique Identification Number (UIN) after examining them. The manufacturers of the drugs may appeal to the state Ayush or health secretary for direction in case the application for the allotment of UIN is not disposed off within 30 days. The state licencing authorities can cancel or reject the applications if they are not satisfied with the content of the advertisements. They can also suspend or cancel the licences of the drug manufacturers. An appeal may be filed before the Centre against the decision taken by the state licencing authorities.
It was learnt that many of the manufacturers who float various advertisements on various mediums relating to their products do not often posses any Unique Identification Number. The Centre may soon issue directives to all the state governments in this regard. This will able to check the
misleading advertisements.
"We welcome the strong step by the Ministry of Ayush that will be immensely beneficial for the people. It will also help people to choose the right products and also save them from financial trap," said Kesablal Pradhan, vice-president of National Ayurveda Students and Youth Association in West Bengal.
