Apollo Pharmacy halts Ranbaxy drugs sales

Ranbaxy's troubles, that began since it pleaded guilty to felony charges in the US related to manufacturing at two of its plants, don't seem to be going away any time soon. According to a report in today's edition of Business Standard,  Apollo Pharmacy, the largest branded medical stores chain in the country, has temporarily stopped selling the company's drugs.

Apollo Pharmacy is owned by BSE and NSE listed Apollo Hospitals.

The Business Standard report says Apollo's medical committee reviewed the matter, and as a cautionary measure, recommended the pharmacy should temporarily suspend sale of Ranbaxy medicines as it can't take any chance with patients' safety.

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The retailer has sent a questionnaire to Ranbaxy seeking details, re-certification of the existing stock and test reports of other medicines, the report added.

A Ranbaxy spokesperson told the paper that they had met the CEO of Apollo Pharmacy to iron out the issues, consultants continued to prescribe Ranbaxy drugs and there was a continuous supply of its drugs at Apollo Hospitals.

Last month, Mumbai's Jaslok Hospital had issued an advisory asking its doctors to avoid prescribing Ranbaxy medicines. That advisory was later removed.

Meanwhile, The Economic Times reports that the Drug Controller General of India will complete its preliminary examination into documents related to the Ranbaxy's US case and whether those infringements have any implications for the medicines it sells in India.

Ranbaxy, which is now owned by Japan's Daiichi Sankyo, has maintained that its current drugs in the global market including India are safe.

At 9:30 hrs, Ranbaxy shares were trading down 0.8 percent at Rs 376.30 on NSE. The stock is down 15 percent, since it pleaded guilty in the US, last month.