South Chemists & Distributors Association slaps legal notice on SONY TV, others for violating Act

Bengaluru, March 23 (IANS) The South Chemists and Distributors Association (SCDA) has slapped a legal notice on SONY TV, TV programme 'Shark Tank India' and E Pharmacy Company Pharmallam for violating Drug and Cosmetics Act 1940.

The legal notice has been sent to 11 parties by the Supreme Court advocate and legal consultant Shiv Verma on Wednesday.

The notice claims that all directors and shareholders of Pharmallama as well as Sony Pictures Networks India are liable for prosecution as the entire business of Pharmallama and the model adopted for it, is wholly against the Drugs and Cosmetics Act and other applicable laws.

The notice states that in the episode 39 of season 2 of the reality show-Shark Tank India aired by Sony Pictures Networks on February 23, the said parties had indulged in illegal act in as much as the operations of Pharmallama is in gross violation of the Drugs and Cosmetics Act, 1945 and other laws governing pharmacies and sale of drugs in India.

The drugs and medicines supplied through Pharmallama without their original packaging would amount to supplying misbranded, adulterated or spurious drugs. The Pharmallama does not own any of the licenses which are legally required for dispensing medicines by way of retail, the notice stated.

By removing medicines from its original packaging, Pharmallama essentially removes information that is mandatorily required to be disclosed to patients. The same poses substantial risk to the lives of patients as the same can result in contamination of the medicines with filth, the notice says.