The Supreme Court on Monday hinted at staying proceedings in various high courts on petitions filed by pharmaceutical companies challenging the government’s ban on hundreds of fixed dose combinations (FDCs) drugs.
A bench led by justice Dipak Mishra asked solicitor general Ranjit Kumar to clarify the government’s stand on whether it intends to file appeal against the December 1 judgment of the Delhi High Court that quashed a central government order banning 344 fixed dose combinations of drugs. It posted the matter for hearing on January 30.
It asked Kumar to apprise the court of the next date of hearing as to whether the government is planning to file an appeal before the division bench of the Delhi High Court or the SC in view of the single judge of the HC quashing its decision.
While the government had filed a petition seeking transfer of all the cases against its ban to the apex court, the Delhi HC’s single judge in the meantime pronounced its order setting aside the decision to ban FDCs on the lack of mandatory consultations with the Drug Testing Advisory Board and the Drug Consultative Committee, statutory requirements under Section 26A.
