Uttarakhand Government Suspends Licenses of 14 Patanjali Products Over Misleading Ads

A regulatory authority in an Indian state has suspended manufacturing licenses for 14 products produced by pharmaceutical companies associated with the country's renowned yoga guru. The decision comes after repeated instances of these companies disseminating misleading advertisements regarding the effectiveness of their products, as per a government directive. This development marks another challenge for Baba Ramdev, whose television programs, yoga remedies, and traditional medicinal offerings have garnered popularity both within India and internationally.

The Supreme Court of India has in recent weeks repeatedly criticised Ramdev for not complying with its directives in an ongoing lawsuit to stop misleading advertisements of some of his traditional ayurvedic medicines. Ramdev's companies had their manufacturing permits suspended in an order issued on April 15 by the traditional medicine drug regulator in the northern state of Uttarakhand. Reuters has obtained exclusive access to the order, which has not been made public until now.

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The list of 14 products whose licences were suspended included Ramdev's traditional medicines for asthma, bronchitis and diabetes. The manufacturing permits are "suspended with immediate effect", Mithilesh Kumar of the state regulator wrote in his order.

A spokesperson for Ramdev stated that he did not have an immediate comment on the matter. The ongoing case against Ramdev in the Supreme Court revolves around allegations from the Indian Medical Association, accusing his firm, Patanjali, of disparaging conventional medicines. Despite a court directive to cease such actions, Patanjali allegedly persisted in publishing misleading advertisements.