EU lifts drug export ban from Ranbaxy's Toansa plant

New Delhi: European health regulator lifted suspension imposed on export of drugs produced at Ranbaxy's Toansa plant to the EU stating medicines produced at the site posed no risk to public health despite having a number of manufacturing deficiencies. In a statement, the European Medicines Agency (EMA) said European regulatory authorities have finalised their assessment of reported non-compliance with Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) at the Toansa plant.

"There were a number of GMP deficiencies at the concerned site, assessment of all available information has reassured European regulators that there has been no risk to public health from these deficiencies," it said. As a consequence, the EU authorities will reinstate the GMP certificate which was suspended in January 2014. The certificate will be re-entered into EudraGMDP, the EU database that contains GMP certificates, EMA added.

It further said: "Patients should continue to take their medicines as prescribed by their healthcare professional." Ranbaxy had voluntarily suspended exports from the Toansa plant to the EU in January 2014 after US Food and Drug Administration (USFDA) had banned the company from exporting drugs produced at the plant to be sold in the US. The assessment of the Toansa facility by EMA followed an inspection by the USFDA, which revealed areas of non-compliance with GMP at the site.

"The European medicines regulatory network responded quickly to the FDA's findings, and sent a team of inspectors from Germany, Ireland and the UK, who were joined by inspectors from Switzerland and Australia to undertake an unannounced international inspection of the site," EMA said. On the status of remedial measures taken up by the company, it said: "The GMP inspection concluded that appropriate corrective and preventive measures have been put in place by the manufacturer."