IMPOSSIBLE: Dolo 650 Maker Rejects Rs 1,000 Freebies Charge as Baseless 

Bengaluru: Dolo-650 tablet makers have rubbished the allegations that it had bribed doctors with freebies worth Rs 1000 crore for prescribing their medicine to patients. The Bengaluru-based pharmaceutical company Micro Labs Limited called the allegations  “baseless and incorrect”.

On Thursday, the Supreme Court, during the hearing of the Dolo-650 tablet case, described the freebies allegations as a ‘serious issue’. The Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) had on July 13 accused Micro Labs Limited of indulging in ‘unethical practices’ and giving freebies like travel expenses, perquisites and gifts to doctors and medical professionals in exchange for promoting its pharmaceutical  products.

Meanwhile, the pharma company has claimed that they only made just Rs 350 crore by selling the Dolo 650 when Covid was at its peak and it was impossible for it to spend a much larger amount on the brand. 

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“It is impossible for any company to spend Rs 1000 cr on the marketing of a brand which did 350 cr in the Covid year. That too when Dolo 650 comes under NLEM (price control),” ANI quoted Jayaraj Govindaraju, Executive Vice President, Marketing and Communication, Micro Labs Limited.

“It was not just Dolo 650, even other COVID protocol drugs like Vitamin C and Vitamin combinations also did very well during COVID,” Govindaraju added.

The Supreme Court asked the Centre to file its response within 10 days on the PIL. An NGO (Federation of Medical and Sales Representatives Association of India), based on some findings of the CBDT, had raised the issue related to freebies being used to encourage doctors to prescribe drugs. The matter will be heard next on September 29.

(With inputs from ANI)