Pharma woes: Dinesh Thakur and Prashant Reddy on India’s regulatory shortcomings

In their 2022 book The Truth Pill, lawyer Prashant Reddy T and public health activist Dinesh S Thakur explored various aspects of modern pharmacology and pharmaceutical practices in India.

Now, in this conversation with Newslaundry’s Abhinandan Sekhri on February 9, they talked about the shortcomings of pharmaceutical regulations in India. Prashant quoted a former drug controller, who said, “If I had to apply American standards of quality to the Indian industry, I’ll have to shut down more than half the plants.”

This lack of regulatory accountability and non-compliance with scientific methodology can have serious consequences for consumers. Dinesh and Prashant explained other pressing concerns facing healthcare in India – rising drug failures, a surge in fixed-dose combinations, and the lack of regulatory structures for ayurvedic medicines.

Watch.

Venue partner: The Quorum, Gurgaon