India drug firm pulls antiretrovirals from WHO list

	Tweet

The World Health Organisation (WHO) said on Tuesday that Indian drug maker Ranbaxy had voluntarily withdrawn all of its antiretroviral AIDS drugs from the U.N. health agency’s approved list.

The Geneva-based agency had already announced that it was dropping three generic HIV/AIDS drugs produced by the firm, India’s largest pharmaceutical company by sales.

"Ranbaxy Laboratories Limited has informed the World Health Organisation this it is voluntarily withdrawing all its antiretrovirals,” WHO said in a statement.

The Indian company took the step after finding discrepancies in documents submitted to prove the generic products’ bioequivalence to brandname drugs, the WHO said.

But it added that Ranbaxy had already presented it with a plan for submitting new studies of the drugs, with the first such study expected to be finished by next month.

The U.N. agency said that it had written to all manufacturers of HIV/AIDS medicines on its recommended list, urging them to check the data they submitted.

In August, the agency dropped three Ranbaxy drugs after finding that the independent laboratory used by the company to verify their equivalence to patented drugs did not meet international standards.

It also struck off two antiretrovirals from rival Indian concern Cipla in May.

The decisions were seen as a setback to hopes to make cheap generic HIV/AIDS drugs available throughout the developing world, particularly in Africa. 

RELATED STORIES:
Anti-parasite drugs effective in mothers, children   Doctors say release of Paxil data helps   WHO calls for urgent studies on best use of Tamiflu   FDA Adds Warnings For Painkiller Bextra   Bayer starts selling quick-release aspirin   Drug maker packs red-wine-like compound in pill   Tamiflu can prevent mortality in mammals   Viagra promising in pulmonary hypertension   Drug lobby wants clearer FDA rules for diet pills   FDA warns diet drugs contain Prozac and Librium   Price gouging reported for flu vaccine   More research needed on painkiller safety

Comments

[ + Post Your Own ]

Now you're in the public comment zone. What follows is not Armenian Medical Network's stuff; it comes from other people and we don't vouch for it. A reminder: By using this Web site you agree to accept our Terms of Service. Click here to read the Rules of Engagement.

There are no comments for this entry yet. [ + Comment here + ]