'No need to worry': Minister cites Supreme Court, health experts to defend SMA drug use

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Health Minister K. Muraleedharan has said there is no need for concern over the administration of spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) medication labelled for clinical trials, stating that the Supreme Court had also accepted that the medicine was suitable for administration.

Speaking at a press conference, the minister said health experts had also confirmed that the medicine was suitable. He added that doctors administered the medicine only after explaining it to the children's parents. “Foreign pharmaceutical companies are behind the controversy. The medicine was purchased from Roche in 2024, and Rs 50 crore is still owed to the company. The Vigilance Department will investigate the controversy. Nothing will be spared,” the minister said.

The Health Department is examining the circumstances that led to the administration of medicines labelled “Doctors Sample” and “Clinical Trials”.

According to the explanation given by the doctors, the stock of the Indian-made generic medicine used as an alternative to the foreign drug had run out. This was why medicine labelled as a sample was administered, they explained. The doctors informed Health Department officials that there was no compromise on quality and that the medicine had been given to ensure that children suffering from the condition did not miss their doses.

The controversy arose after the SAT Hospital in Thiruvananthapuram administered an Indian-made generic medicine to children with spinal muscular atrophy (SMA), a rare genetic disorder, in place of the foreign medicine they had previously been receiving. The complaint alleged that the children had been given medicines labelled “Doctor's Sample” and “Clinical Trials”. This led to allegations that the government was conducting drug trials on children.