“Thirty-five pharmaceutical companies in India have contributed nearly Rs 1,000 crore to political parties through electoral bonds, data released by the Election Commission on March 14 has revealed. Of these, at least seven companies were being investigated for poor quality drugs when they purchased the bonds. The drugs in question include widely-used products such as cough syrup, blood pressure regulating medicines, and the COVID-19 treatment Remdesivir,” he said in a post on X.
“One can only imagine what underhand deals – ‘Chanda Do, Dhanda Lo’ – may have occurred between the pharma companies producing these ‘poor quality drugs’ and the government. One can only imagine the costs that this may have inflicted on consumers and citizens who trust their government to regulate the drug market with honesty and integrity,” Ramesh also said.
He cited news reports to claim that seven firms that failed drug quality tests of medicines have donated to political parties through electoral bonds.
