Govt grants sanction to prosecute CDSCO’S joint drugs controller

NEW DELHI: The government has granted the sanction to prosecute Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation’s joint drugs controller S Eswara Reddy, clearing the decks for initiating a trial against him for allegedly taking a bribe to favourably recommend Biocon Biologics’ insulin injection, officials said Sunday.

The CBI submitted the sanction for prosecution, accorded by the Director (Vigilance) in the Union Ministry for Health and Family Welfare, before a special court here.

Repeated calls made to the office phone of Reddy seeking his comments remained unanswered. The agency has also received the sanction against Animesh Kumar, Assistant Drugs Inspector, who is a co-accused in the case, they said.

Apart from Reddy and Animesh Kumar, the CBI had also arrested Biocon Biologics’ Associate Vice President L Praveen Kumar, Synergy Network India Private Limited director Dinesh Dua, who allegedly gave Reddy Rs 4 lakh as bribe, and Guljit Sethi, an alleged conduit of

Biocon Biologics.

The arrests were made in June last year in the bribery case allegedly to waive the Phase 3 clinical trial of ‘Insulin Aspart’ injection, a product developed by the company to manage Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes. However, Biocon Biologics, a subsidiary of Kiran Mazumdar Shaw-led Biocon, denied the allegations of bribery. Reddy was suspended but the health ministry revoked his last year and reinstated him as the joint drugs controller.

The agency had filed the charge sheet in August last year against the accused persons, but trial had not commenced.