Is Saridon banned in India?

Saridon is the best-known example of a medicine that was banned in India and then returned to shelves by court order, which is why "why is Saridon banned" is still searched years later. Its formula is paracetamol with propyphenazone and caffeine; The Week notes that the original Roche formula contained phenacetin, which was later dropped.

The combination was first caught in the March 2016 ban on 344 FDCs (S.O. 1036(E)), which the Delhi High Court quashed in December 2016. On 7 September 2018 the Health Ministry re-banned 328 combinations, including this one under S.O. 4689(E). The underlying finding, The Week reported, came from the Kshirsagar expert committee, which found no "convincing scientific/clinical/justification" for the combination and flagged propyphenazone's risks.

Piramal, the manufacturer, went to the Supreme Court. On 17 September 2018 the court allowed Saridon back on sale; The News Minute reported that it "overturned the ban on Saridon and two other drugs" and did not say whether the relief was interim. Medical Dialogues reported that the relief covered Saridon, Piriton expectorant and Dart. CDSCO's list of prohibited drugs cites a Supreme Court order dated 14.02.2019 under which four FDCs were "claimed prior to 1988" and says the matter is "still under examination in consultation with Expert Committee". On 21 February 2019 Piramal announced that "The Supreme Court of India has ruled in favor of Saridon", and Business Standard headlined it "Supreme Court exempts Saridon from banned FDC list".

So Saridon is on sale. The 2018 notification has not been withdrawn, and CDSCO's wording ("under examination") differs from the company's ("exempted"); we have not seen the Supreme Court order itself. This page will change if a new order appears.