More Evidence Emerges of UDF Government’s Decision to Procure Natco’s SMA Drug Before Clinical Trials Were Completed

Thiruvananthapuram: More evidence has emerged of alleged irregularities in the UDF government’s decision to procure a drug from Natco for children with spinal muscular atrophy (SMA), despite clinical trials for the drug not having been completed. Months before the government decided to discontinue the medicine provided free of cost to affected children and replace it with Natco’s drug, company representatives met Health Minister K Muraleedharan. This contradicts the minister’s earlier statement that no representatives of pharmaceutical companies had met him.

The meeting took place at the minister’s office on August 5. Representatives of the company arrived to meet the minister along with the superintendent of SAT Hospital. They also handed over a document to him.

However, the health minister gave contradictory responses when journalists questioned him about the meeting. Asked whether he had met representatives of pharmaceutical companies, he replied that he had not met anyone from any company. When journalists pointed out that a photograph of the meeting had surfaced, he responded that many people might have come to meet him.

The company had donated Rs 13 crore to the Congress through electoral bonds. During the previous LDF government, the price of Evrysdi (risdiplam), which costs Rs 5.5 lakh, was negotiated down to around Rs 1 lakh, and the medicine was provided free of cost to the patients. In July, the UDF government decided to discontinue this drug and procure Natco’s medicine, for which clinical trials had not been completed.

Natco had approached the Kerala Medical Services Corporation (KMSCL) during the LDF government’s tenure, seeking approval to supply the drug. However, permission was not granted, and the government decided to continue using risdiplam manufactured by Swiss company Roche. The organisation 'Cure SMA' also approached the UDF government, seeking the continuation of the existing medicine, but its request was not approved.

The decision to administer a medicine marked for clinical testing to children without proper prior notification has raised concerns among parents.