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This comes after the DCGI sent a letter to the two manufacturers last month pulling them up for running TV ads it claimed were “misrepresenting abortion” and pushing the pills as a way to be “tension-free” after sex.
As per norms, if these two pills are categorised as prescription drugs, they cannot be advertised.
Speaking to The Indian Express, Surinder Singh, Drug Controller General of India, said today that the Drug Technical Advisory Board will meet on November 9 on the issue.
“We will go by the DTAB’s decision. A committee may be set up to research and speak to the companies. This will help us understand whether we should revise the ads or whether these OTC drugs be made prescription drugs. It may take two to three months to look at the subject in totality,” Singh said.
Singh claimed the ads do not emphasize that the pills are only for “emergency” use, show abortion in a bad light and do not mention the side effects of the pills. “Even a mutual fund ad, in a short span of time on air, will ask you to read the fine print. But these ads do not focus on the side effects,” Singh said.
Contesting this, Amar Lulla, Joint Managing Director, Cipla, said that each i-pill pack comes with a booklet that lists the side effects. And it clearly mentions that it’s “an emergency pill.” Asked about the DCGI’s complaint that the ads pushed “tension-free sex,” Lulla said that the pill was a woman’s way to choose and prevent the trauma of an abortion.
“We will accept the guidelines but the government should also participate in educating people. The government is on record that emergency contraceptives should be publicized,” said Lulla.
A spokesman from Mankind Pharma, when contacted after the DCGI letter was sent last month, said: “We have shown a married couple. The product is such that we cannot not talk about sex. The use of ‘tension free,’ is relevant especially for a woman who is unsure of whether she is pregnant...she goes through a traumatic phase.”
He added: “We will do whatever the government asks us. If they provide guidelines, we will follow those for the advertisements.”
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the government athourities have got up from their sleep very earlly to tell the people that these drugs have to be taken with prisciption the ads have been going on t.v and other places for a long time had good and drugs been sold heavilly and now after all these days the athourities have come to known about this fact with was hidden for long my question is what is the food nad drug department doing about this malpractice r they playing with the lifes of people of india till the time some one becomes the victim of the same wake up before itis too late i pray these athourities of this department have to be punished for negligence of job in their suvelance.......jai hind
These drugs should not be sold as over the counter that is free sale to anyone who asks for it.These drugs are corrupting our youth to a great extent.Some days back there was a news item that every 2nd girl in Punjab uses such drugs without knowing the side effects which are very much injurious to internal organs.It may stop conception of the child but damages ovary very much and when girls need the child they cannot concieve.These should be classified as Prescription Drugs with immediate effect and blanket ban on selling these to girls under 18 and as in the case of Cigarretes these should also contain warning in Bold letters indicating its side effects and damages it may cause.Advertisements in print/ visual media encourages youth to experiment with these drugs hence no advertisements be be permitted for these.Manufacturers claim that they have written about its side effects is an eye wash as no one cares to read the fine prints.Social obligations should be realised by companies.
stupid...They should have advertised that it is good anytime ..any time of day...after the action..The sequence need not follow only night activity...
positive attitude toward taking drugs without reading instructions is not a matter of concern for manufacturers though there should be warnings about possible side effects. this morning-after drugs are good efforts and educating mass about the whole procedure of conception and contraception should be rested upon N.G.Oes or government itself. these drugs have good potentials because nobody wants suicidal cases or population explosion. bring a baby in this earth is a matter of decision, specially when everyone do not get financial coverage for their upbringing, at the same time it is torture if one harshly suppresses his or her instincts deep which in turn may give rise to psychopathic tendencies.
The advertisement for the morning-after pill is misleading. It might push innocent girls to rush for cover without knowing the side effects of the drug and this is not right. Even cigerette advertisement clearly brings out the consequences of smoking. Government should take strict action and stop the advertisement immediately till the matter is examined in depth. It is a sin to keep people ignorant of the after effects. Just saying that the pill pack contains a booklet is shirking the responsibility since it is too much to expect users to go through the instructions when they are tensed up. This drug certainly must not be sold across the counter.