NEW DELHI: The Union Health Ministry may soon take “appropriate” action to amend the proposed long-pending Drugs and Magic Remedies (Objectionable Advertisement) Act, 1954, which is aimed at taking stringent action against misleading advertisements, including Ayush medicines.
The move comes in the wake of directions from the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) following an RTI filed by Dr K V Babu, a Kerala-based ophthalmologist, who had flagged that the crucial Act has been kept in cold storage since February 3, 2020, when the proposal was first announced.
Babu, who had written to the PMO last year on December 7, received a response that his complaint had been forwarded to the Union health ministry. The health ministry, which had not responded to him despite his earlier RTIs on the issue, in its January 16 reply, said that “action on the issue will be initiated at the appropriate time.”
Reacting to the health ministry’s reply, Babu said, “I believe it is a positive development as it has come after the intervention from the PMO. The proposed amendment will strengthen the D&MR Act. I hope it is enacted soon.”
The proposed D&MR Act was formulated after the parliamentary panel on health in March 2018 criticised the non-enactment of stringent laws against misleading ads of Ayush drugs.
The amendment to the D&MR Act, 1954, which prohibits the advertisement for remedies alleged to possess magical qualities, was proposed by the ministry on February 3, 2020. This act applies to all drugs, including Ayurvedic, Siddha, Unani drugs, and Homoeopathy.
The amendments that were proposed in 2020 included 24 more diseases, including drugs for treatment for enhancing sexual performance, fairness of skin, improvement in the height of kids and adults, and premature ageing.