S M Fasiullah for BeyondHeadlines
India’s pharma major Ranbaxy Laboratories endangered millions of lives with its fraudulent practices; it pleaded guilty to seven federal criminal charges stemming from its deceitful production practices dating back to 2008 and agreed to pay $500M in fines to US regulators.
Whistleblower Mr. Dinesh Thakur, a former Ranbaxy employee, alleged that the firm’s executives wittingly fabricated test data on generics destined for the US as well as several other markets.
Mr. Thakur revealed evidence of falsified and invented data that was used to gain US regulator Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval for drugs that were often adulterated, according to CNN Money/Fortune.
He reported his findings to his superior Mr. Rajinder Kumar, who later presented it to senior executives and urged the company to address and correct the problems, but no remedial action was taken.
The company, which sells its products in over 150 countries, lied to the FDA and other regulators, and indulged in back-dating and forging data, the news article noted quoting Mr. Thakur.
Ranbaxy has clearly endangered lives of millions of people living particularly in India, Africa and the US through its callous practices. It’s a breach of patients’ trust in the company.
Now the pertinent questions are – Why its license is still not revoked? Why has the firm been permitted to continue its US operations? Why the former owners of Ranbaxy, brothers Malvinder and Shivinder Singh, been permitted to walk free with the $2bn that they made from selling the firm to Daiichi Sankyo in 2008?
Advocate Manohar Lal Sharma filed a writ petition (PIL), whose copy is available with Beyondheadlines, in the honorable Supreme Court for issuing writ of mandamus/proper writ direction for the protection of the life of the citizen of India.
The writ petition filed on June 5 details the case and requests the apex court for CBI Investigation and prosecution for supplying of forged medicines in India and abroad by Ranbaxy, in the interest of justice.
