Manufacturers of the Paracetamol drug ‘Dolo’, which became popular as a drug during the Covid-19 pandemic, spent over Rs 1,000 crores as freebies on doctors, a body of medical representatives told the Supreme Court on Thursday.
Senior Advocate Sanjay Parikh, appearing for the Federation of Medical and Sales Representatives Association of India, told the bench, “Over Rs 1,000 crore freebies have been given by Dolo company for the 650mg formulation. The doctors were prescribing an irrational dose combination,” the lawyer said. He cited a report from the Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) as the source of his information.
Justice DY Chandrachud, who was heading the bench also comprising Justice AS Bopanna, said, “What you are saying is not music to my ears. This (drug) is exactly what I had when I had Covid.”
The flood situation in the Mahanadi river system in Odisha remained grim on Tuesday as over two lakh people in 10 districts were affected by the calamity, a senior official said here.
Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik asked officers concerned to ensure “zero casualty” in the flood caused by heavy rainfall due to the week-long low pressure and depression.