Patanjali Misleading Ads Case: Uttarakhand Revokes Licenses Of 14 Patanjali Products After SC Rap

DEHRADUN: In a major setback to Patanjali, the Uttarakhand State Licensing Authority has decided to suspend manufacturing licenses for 14 products from Patanjali’s Divya Pharmacy due to repeated publication of misleading advertisements regarding their effectiveness.

The licencing body filed an affidavit in the Supreme Court on Monday informing their decision of suspending licenses of 14 products manufactured by Patanjali's Divya Pharmacy “for repeated violations” under the Drugs and Cosmetic Rules, 1945.

The SLA issued an order dated April 15, 2024, to Divya Pharmacy and Patanjali Ayurved Ltd, suspending manufacturing licenses for 14 products, which included ‘Swasari Gold’, ‘Swasari Vati’, ‘Bronchom’, ‘Swasari Pravahi’, ‘Swasari Avaleh’, ‘Mukta Vati Extra Power’, ‘Lipidom’, ‘Bp Grit’, ‘Madhugrit’, ‘Madhunashini Vati Extra Power’, ‘Livamrit Advance’, ‘Livogrit’, ‘Eyegrit Gold’, and ‘Patanjali Drishti Eye Drop’, with immediate effect.

This significant move comes in the wake of a petition filed by the Indian Medical Association (IMA), prompting the Supreme Court to seek clarification from the state licensing authority regarding action taken against the company for alleged misleading claims.

It is to be noted that the apex court had earlier called out the state authority on April 10 for failing to take decisive action against Patanjali and Divya Pharmacy for their illegal advertisements of these misleading products.

Apart from the suspension of licenses, a criminal complaint has been registered against Swami Ramdev, Acharya Balkrishna, Divya Pharmacy, and Patanjali Ayurved Limited by the Drug Inspector/District Ayurvedic and Unani Officer of Haridwar under relevant sections of the Drugs and Magic Remedies Act.

Moreover, directives ordering the strict compliance with the Drug and Magic Remedies Act, 1954, have been issued by the state licensing authority to all Ayurvedic and Unani medicine factories in Uttarakhand.

This includes refraining from using claims like “approved/certified by the Ministry of AYUSH” on product labels.

Meanwhile, the Supreme Court will hear the matter related to the apology published by Yoga guru Ramdev and his associate Acharya Balkrishna on April 30 and both of them will be present during the court proceedings on Tuesday.

Previously, the court adjourned the hearing and requested copies of the apology advertisements to assess their size and readability.

ALSO READ: Patanjali Misleading Ads Case: Ramdev, Balkrishna Issue New ‘Public Apology’ After Supreme Court Knock

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