In an apparent attempt to put an end to the controversy over the use of a cheaper generic formulation of the drug Risdiplam to treat spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) in Kerala, Health Minister K Muraleedharan has said the government will continue administering the medicine to patients.

Muraleedharan assured patients and their parents that the drug was safe for use in children and said there was no need for concern.

The controversy erupted after the state government decided to move away from Swiss healthcare giant Roche's Risdiplam drug Evrysdi and opt for Natco Pharma's generic formulation, marketed under the brand name Natsmart. The medicine supplied to patients carried the label 'Physician's sample/Clinical trials only'.

After the parents of children receiving the medicine raised concerns over the label, the authorities took back the medicine.

However, on Friday, Muraleedharan and Dr R Shankar, head of the expert committee tasked with evaluating the drug, maintained that the medicine was safe.

"If the concern is regarding the label, there was 'physician's sample' written on it. It means it is a tested molecule. The container contains the same medicine. There is no difference in it," Shankar said.
Muraleedharan stood by the decision, saying that the country's top courts had also approved the use of the medicine. "Even experts said that it was safe," he said.

Asked why the medicine was taken back after the parents flagged the label, the minister said the decision was taken to allay their concerns. A total of 109 children in Kerala are being treated for SMA.

Muraleedharan further alleged that some media outlets had circulated concerns about the medicine. He also accused Roche for spreading the concerns.

Targeting the LDF, the minister said that payments amounting to ₹50 crore from the previous 10-year tenure were still pending to Roche. He further stated that no medicine manufactured by a foreign company would be administered.

His remarks came a day after former health ministers and CPM leaders K K Shailaja, P K Sreemathy and Veena George jointly criticised him at a press conference over the use of the medicine. They accused him of administering a drug labelled for clinical trials and questioned his eligibility to hold the post of health minister.

Muraleedharan hit back at the three former ministers, comparing them to leaders who had been discarded by their own party. "Even their own party dumped them, deeming them expired. Now they have come to teach Muraleedharan," he said.

He also recalled alleged lapses during their respective tenures. He referred to the deaths of 38 children at SAT Hospital in Thiruvananthapuram in 2007 when Sreemathy was the health minister. He also accused Veena George of being responsible for a controversy involving the alleged assault on her by KSU activists in Kannur, forcing her gunman to give a false statement. He did not spare Shailaja, pointing to the alleged financial irregularities and mishandling of Nipah Virus outbreak during her tenure.

The Congress leader also targeted the CPM, questioning how many party workers had benefited from the procurement of Roche's medicines by Kannur-based Taurus Pharma. Without elaborating on the allegations, he questioned the company's eligibility to manufacture medicines, noting that it supplies several medicines to the Kerala Medical Services Corporation Limited (KMSCL), the state government’s medical procurement agency. 

The Health Minister also said alleged irregularities during the past 10 years of the Pinarayi Vijayan-led LDF government would be investigated.