Court steps in to cut dependency on Chinese drugs for cancer

The Madras High Court today appointed advocate N L Rajah as amicus curiae to look into the possibilities of encouraging domestic manufacturers of cancer drugs to avoid dependency on Chinese-made ones.

Justice N Kirubakaran, who passed an interim order, directed Rajah to report on the rising incidents and spread of cancer and medicines for treatment of the deadly disease.

The issue pertains to a plea moved by Vinkem Labs Limited, a domestic manufacturer, claiming that overwhelming dependence on drugs and raw material from China, particularly those for cancer treatment, could prove harmful to those in the Indian health sector.

The company wanted the court to direct the central government to provide more preference to indigenous manufacturers than Chinese ones.

It sought to achieve self-reliance for seven critical active pharmaceutical ingredient molecules in cancer treatment.

The petitioner claimed every 13th cancer patient in the world is an Indian. Two women succumb to the disease every 10 minutes, while 50 children die every day, the company submitted.

According to the petitioner, over 90 per cent of raw material for manufacture of cancer drugs are imported from China.

When the plea came up today, the judge said, "If the petitioner is given the required assistance, the petitioner is sure that he could manufacture cancer drugs at a lower rate, as he developed extensive know how in generic cancer drugs and ultimately the dependence on China would be reduced considerably."