Nepal has blacklisted 16 Indian pharmaceutical companies, including Yoga Guru Ramdev's company Patanjali, according to a report by Indian news channel NDTV.
Nepal's drug regulatory authority has said Indian companies have failed to meet World Health Organization (WHO) standards. Therfore, they are blacklisted.
Apart from Ramdev's company, the list includes India's Radiant Parenterals Limited, Mercury Laboratories Limited, Alliance Biotech, G Laboratories, Cadilla Healthcare Limited, GLS Pharma, IPCA Labs etc.
On December 18, the Drug Administration office of Nepal issued a notification regarding this matter. Local traders have been instructed to take back the drugs quickly. It has also been said that drugs manufactured by blacklisted Indian companies cannot be imported or distributed.
According to Nepali administration sources, a team of Nepalese experts visited India last April and July. Several Indian companies want to export medicines to Nepal. They investigated the affairs of those companies.