THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Even as Health Minister K Muraleedharan has criticised the CPM for its stand in the SMA medicine row, Leader of Opposition Pinarayi Vijayan has made it clear that the CPM was not against generic medicines. In a detailed social media post, the veteran leader said criticism was against government lapses in administering medicines labelled ‘under trial.’
Pinarayi accused the government of serious lapses and lack of transparency in administering ‘under trial’ medicines to children with spinal muscular atrophy at SAT hospital. The government has not realised the gravity of the issue. No steps have been taken to address the concerns raised by the families. “The Left leaders raised concerns about whether adequate safety measures were taken. The Left has demanded an investigation into whether all procurement procedures were followed,” he pointed out.
The CPM veteran criticised the health minister for attempting to derail the issue by portraying it as a campaign against generic medicines.
“Opposition LDF has always maintained a position that generic medicines are required to prevent exploitation by big pharmacy companies. The CPM has a clear and established position in the issue of generic medicines,” Pinarayi stated. He pointed at CPM’s role in bringing in an amendment to the country’s patent act.
Pinarayi demanded that a comprehensive probe should be carried out into the irregularities in medicine distribution and the minister’s interventions. Going by the available information, the government approval for medicine procurement was granted in July 2026.
“It should be clarified why medicines marked as ‘for clinical trials’ were supplied through the government system. How did these medicines reach the government system. The government has a responsibility to inform the public about all actions taken in this regard,” he said.