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Ministry of AYUSH and ASCI partner to regulate misleading ads

ASCI will monitor these ads across print and electronic media. It has been given a self-monitoring mandate by the Ministry of AYUSH to identify potentially misleading advertisements and process complaints through its Consumer Complaints Council

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Ministry of AYUSH and ASCI partner to regulate misleading ads

Ministry of AYUSH and ASCI partner to regulate misleading ads

ASCI will monitor these ads across print and electronic media. It has been given a self-monitoring mandate by the Ministry of AYUSH to identify potentially misleading advertisements and process complaints through its Consumer Complaints Council

BestMediaInfo Bureau | Mumbai | January 23, 2017

Ministry-of-AYUSH-and-ASCI-partner-to-regulate-misleading-ads

To support co-regulation in advertising, the Ministry of Ayurveda, Yoga and Naturopathy, Unani, Siddha and Homoeopathy (AYUSH) has signed a MoU partnering with the Advertising Standards Council of India (ASCI). Addressing cases of misleading advertisements related to ayurveda, yoga and naturopathy, unani, siddha and homoeopathy medicines, treatment and related services, ASCI will monitor these advertisements across print and electronic media.

ASCI has been given a self-monitoring mandate by the Ministry of AYUSH to identify potentially misleading advertisement in the AYUSH sector and process complaints through its Consumer Complaints Council (CCC). The Ministry of AYUSH will also redirect complaints against misleading advertisements received to ASCI, to be reviewed using ASCI's code and guidelines. The MoU requires ASCI to report advertisements in potential violation of the Drugs and Magic Remedies (Objectionable Advertisements) Act, 1954 and Rules, as well as non-compliance of ASCI's CCC recommendations for the Ministry of AYUSH to take further action.

This partnership will provide a formal mechanism to monitor and curtail misleading advertisements in the AYUSH sector and will lead to effective implementation though strong support from the State licensing authorities as well as through the Ministry of AYUSH.

Commenting on the partnership, Ajit M Sharan, Secretary, Ministry of AYUSH, said, “We are happy to announce this partnership with the ASCI. It is yet another important step taken by the AYUSH Ministry to ensure that Indian consumers have access to safe and effective medicine. We have entered into a MoU with ASCI to effectively weed out such advertisements so that consumers are protected from unscrupulous manufacturers selling products making false claims. This is vital for the propagation of AYUSH system of medicine within India and beyond.”

S K Swamy, Chairman, ASCI, added, “At ASCI, we have been relentlessly working to encourage self-regulation in advertising content and ensuring the protection of the interests of the consumers. AYUSH is among top three sectors where we find a high incidence of misleading advertisements and some of the advertisements in the AYUSH sector claiming treatment of certain diseases in violation of the Drugs and Magic Remedies Regulations have been a cause of concern. ASCI's partnership with the Ministry of AYUSH will provide the necessary support to our efforts in effectively curtailing misleading advertisements in this sector.”

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