Thiruvananthapuram, Oct 26 The Keralam government on Monday defended its decision to make cheaper generic medicine available for spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) patients, with Chief Minister VD Satheesan saying the drug had regulatory approval and could significantly reduce the financial burden on families.
Replying to an adjournment motion notice in the Assembly, Satheesan said Natco Pharma’s generic Risdiplam costs around Rs 15,000 for 12 days, compared with approximately Rs 6.5 lakh for Roche’s branded medicine.
“The price of the medicine is around Rs 15,000 for 12 days, while the branded version costs around Rs 6.5 lakh,” he said, adding that the government hoped to bring the cost down further to Rs 9,000, including the required supplies.
The Speaker Thiruvanchoor Radhakrishnan denied permission for the adjournment motion after the chief minister and the Health Minister replied to the Opposition’s concerns.
The Opposition subsequently staged a walkout from the Assembly.
Satheesan said the Supreme Court had dismissed Roche’s petition challenging the production of the generic medicine and that the Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation (CDSCO) had approved Natco’s Risdiplam for use in India.
He said the medicine was being used at treatment centres, including the Sanjay Gandhi Postgraduate Institute of Medical Sciences in Lucknow, and stressed that it was not being distributed as part of a trial but in accordance with prescribed protocols and approvals.
The chief minister said the National Health Mission director had, on April 6, before the present government took office, written to the Health Department highlighting the substantially lower cost of the generic medicine and calling for an urgent decision.
A technical committee discussed the matter on May 8 and forwarded its recommendations, he added.
Health Minister K Muraleedharan said the Opposition Leader had written to the government on October 12 expressing concern over replacing the expensive branded drug with a generic version, arguing that its efficacy had not been established through prior experience.
The opposition had also demanded the restoration of Rs 30 crore to ensure free medicines for SMA patients up to the age of 25, instead of the existing provision that extends support up to 12 years, the minister said.
Muraleedharan alleged that the previous government had left Rs 50 crore in unpaid dues to a company supplying SMA medicine.
He also alleged that the company producing the generic medicine had contributed Rs 1.5 crore to the CPI(M) party fund, citing election-related disclosures.
Satheesan appreciated the Health Minister and the department for making the cheaper medicine available, saying the move could help families struggling with the high cost of treatment.
LoP Pinarayi Vijayan, however, said the controversy was not about opposing generic medicines but about the way the medicine had been administered to children at the SAT Hospital in Thiruvananthapuram.
“The serious issue was that the medicine given to infants with SMA at the SAT Hospital was recorded as a clinical trial,” he said, arguing that the issue had been misrepresented to portray the Opposition as being against generic medicines.
Vijayan said the Left had consistently opposed pharmaceutical companies charging exorbitant prices for life-saving medicines under patent protection and had supported the use of generic drugs.
The debate also saw the Opposition question the appointment of members to a task force constituted to prepare a roadmap for the “Kerala Holistic Model for Health, Wellness and Longevity”.
The task force is expected to formulate an evidence-based approach covering prevention, early detection, treatment, rehabilitation and healthy ageing, while integrating modern medicine with Ayurveda and other systems.
The opposition objected to the inclusion of representatives linked to private hospitals, laboratories, pharmaceutical companies and healthcare corporates, alleging that their presence could create conflicts of interest and influence public health policymaking in favour of private interests.
Satheesan rejected the criticism, saying the members had been selected based on their professional backgrounds and expertise and were included as knowledge partners, not on the basis of political recommendations.
The members named by the chief minister included liver specialist Dr Shiv Kumar Sarin, Dr M V Pillai, Devadas Warrier of Arya Vaidya Pharmacy, medical imaging specialist Dr Harsh Mahajan, Ayurveda practitioner Dr Pratap Chauhan, Dr Kancheria Ravindranath, public health expert Dr S S Lal, Dr P M Varier of Kottakkal Arya Vaidya Sala, Dr Nisha Nikhil, C Faisal Kottikollon and former Uttar Pradesh Chief Secretary Deepak Singhal.
The Opposition also questioned Singhal’s appointment, raising allegations of corruption and asking why a former bureaucrat from Uttar Pradesh had been chosen to help shape Keralam’s health policy.
Satheesan said there was no vigilance case against Singhal and that he had obtained vigilance clearance in 2019.
Vijayan said healthcare development was welcome but cautioned against what he described as a move backwards in public health policy. He questioned whether people linked to corporate hospitals and healthcare investment firms should be involved in shaping the government’s health policy.
He also challenged the Health Minister over electoral bond contributions, claiming that the Congress had received Rs 12.25 crore from Natco Pharma through electoral bonds.
(PTI News)
