Hindi English Translation || Editorial || ​By another name: On misleading advertisements, fake medicine

​By another name: On misleading advertisements, fake medicine

Courts should act against fake medicine, not just control advertising

On August 27, a Bench (a court of law with a number of judges) of the Supreme Court of India found itself reaching, once again, for idioms (मुहावरा) over a matter involving misleading (भ्रामक, गुमराह करने वाला) advertisements of ayurveda, siddha, and unani products. Earlier this year, another Bench had concluded proceedings (proceedings) against Patanjali Ayurved over its defiance (अवज्ञा, विद्रोह, उल्लंघन) of an order to not publicise (प्रचार करना, प्रसिद्ध करना) unproven or unprovable medicinal claims (दावा, अभिकथन) attached to its products. Towards the end of that matter, various State-level regulatory agencies were finally roused (जगाना, प्रेरित करना) to act against Patanjali Ayurved over these claims while the Court ordered it to publish media advertisements apologising for its actions. While the responses of the State bodies to the company are still evolving (विकसित होना, प्रगति करना), the Court’s own verdict seemed (appear, look like) to embody (include, consolidate, encompass, assimilate, integrate) a belief that nothing more could be done — and this belief casts (cause, make, give) the Court’s current ire (angry, rage, wrath, fury, displeasure, annoyance, vexation, iritation) against the Ministry of AYUSH (the acronym of the medical systems that are being practiced in India such as Ayurveda, Yoga & Naturopathy, Unani, Siddha and Homeopathy. These systems are based on definite medical philosophies and represent a way of healthy living with established concepts on prevention of diseases and promotion of health) in a particular light (प्रकाश, रोशनी). India’s drug (दवाई) manufacturers and regulators (नियामक, नियंत्रक) are caught between ensuring high quality, which leads to (नेतृत्व करने के लिए) higher manufacturing costs, while keeping consumer prices down so that patients can access the drugs they need. Unfortunately (दुर्भाग्य से), neither regulators nor manufacturers have navigated (handle, negotiate) this tension (तनाव) in the patients’ favour. The AYUSH Ministry’s actions have further complicated this scenario (परिदृश्य, स्थिति) by allowing businesses to register all sorts (type, kind, form, variety) of products as “Ayurvedic” (as illustrated in the case of its licence, and later cancelled, to a Bengaluru-based company to sell milk as “Ayurvedic proprietary (patented, licensed, branded, own-brand) medicine”) and by attempting to evade (avoid, sidestep, get past, bypass, dodge, circumvent, steer clear of, get round) existing quality rules, presumably (apparently, allegedly, supposedly, ostensibly, evidently, seemingly) to grease the wheels of businesses.

With the Ministry’s cynical (sceptical, doubtful, distrustful, suspicious, disbelieving, doubting) attempt now to sidestep (avoid, evade, get past, bypass, dodge, circumvent, steer clear of, get round) Rule 170 of the Drugs and Cosmetics Rules 1945 (An Act to regulate the import, manufacture and distribution of drugs in India), which penalises (punish, discipline, mete out punishment to) misleading advertisements of ayurveda, siddha, and unani products, the Court confronts (deal with, tackle, attend to (a problem or difficulty)) an old tendency (trend, habit) in a new disguise (false appearance, outfit, fake get-up, concealment, camouflage). Public apologies and post facto (literally means after the fact; doing something after something happened; retroactive, retrospective) action by regulatory bodies may have been the end of the line (final outcome, conclusion) against one company. The Court may also seem sated (fully satisfy; gratify completely; to provide with more than enough) by a demand, as it spelled out in its May 7 order, that all advertisers self-declare that they will not publish misleading advertisements. But similar concessionary (relating to concession (compromise, exception, modification, adjustment, accommodation)) measures (action, step, move, procedure) will falter (hesitate, delay, stall, be undecided, be indecisive; lose strength, lose momentum, to stop making progress; to stop being successful) against a Ministry. Medicine quality and manufacturer inspections are disuniform (nonuniform, irregular, variable, unbalanced), more so (to a greater extent or degree; additionally, as well, besides, furthermore, in addition, likewise, moreover) in the alternative medicines (it refers to unproven or disproven methods used instead of standard medical treatments to prevent, diagnose, or treat diseases) space, and regulating advertisements has emerged as a last-ditch (eleventh-hour, last-minute, final, the last moment; almost too late) backstop (support, help, assist, back, bolster, prop up, reinforce; to act/serve as a backstop (emergency plan) to) against bad products entering the market. In the face of (despite, notwithstanding, regardless of; when confronted with) progressively (increasingly, more and more, additionally, to a greater extent) weakening protections against what is ultimately fake medicine, the most preferred outcome (end result, implication, ramification, repercussion) in the present matter would be for the Court to look at past declarations — self-made or otherwise — and into rectifying the quality-control regime (system), particularly to empower (authorize, entitle, permit, allow) it, protect it from political capture, and bring alternative medicines under its purview.

Courtesy: The Hindu

Important Word List With Meaning

1.misleading (adjective)

Hindi Meaning - भ्रामक, गुमराह करने वाला
English Meaning - deceptive, confusing, deceiving, equivocal, ambiguous, fallacious, false.

2.idiom (noun)

Hindi Meaning - मुहावरा
English Meaning - idiomatic expression.

3.proceedings (noun)

Hindi Meaning - कार्यवाही, मुकदमेबाजी
English Meaning - lawsuit, hearing, inquiry, legal proceedings, legal action.

4.defiance (noun)

Hindi Meaning - अवज्ञा, विद्रोह, उल्लंघन
English Meaning - non-compliance, disobedience; resistance.

5.publicise (verb)

Hindi Meaning - प्रचार करना, प्रसिद्ध करना
English Meaning - advertise, promote, circulate.

6.claim (noun)

Hindi Meaning - दावा, अभिकथन
English Meaning - assertion, declaration, affirmation (that something is true).

7.rouse (verb)

Hindi Meaning - जगाना, प्रेरित करना
English Meaning - wake up, awaken, arouse, prompt, stimulate, give rise to.

8.evolve (verb)

Hindi Meaning - विकसित होना, प्रगति करना
English Meaning - progress, advance, make headway, unfold.

9.light (noun)

Hindi Meaning - प्रकाश, रोशनी
English Meaning - aspect, angle, appearance, viewpoint, standpoint, point of view.

10.drug (noun)

Hindi Meaning - दवाई
English Meaning - medicine, medication, medical drug.

11.regulator (noun)

Hindi Meaning - नियामक, नियंत्रक
English Meaning - an association/statutory body that supervises a particular business activity.

12.lead to (verb)

Hindi Meaning - नेतृत्व करने के लिए
English Meaning - result in, cause, bring on, bring about, give rise to.

13.unfortunately (adverb)

Hindi Meaning - दुर्भाग्य से
English Meaning - sadly, regrettably, unhappily, woefully.

14.tension (noun)

Hindi Meaning - तनाव
English Meaning - strain, stress, pressure, concern, worry, unease.

15.scenario (noun)

Hindi Meaning - परिदृश्य, स्थिति
English Meaning - circumstance, condition, situation, background, backdrop.

16.by another name (or) by any other name (phrase)

English Meaning - “A rose by any other name would smell as sweet” is a popular saying/quote from William Shakespeare’s play Romeo and Juliet. This quote suggests that a name is just a label and so it is not important, but what the thing itself is so important.

17.act against (verb)

English Meaning - curb, check, thwart, oppose, resist, fight, restrain.

18.Bench (noun)

English Meaning - a court of law with a number of judges.

19.find oneself (verb)

English Meaning - to realize and accept one’s real nature; acknowledge and use one’s abilities and situation; experience, go through, witness.

20.regulatory (adjective)

English Meaning - relating to the control/supervision of an activity by a set of rules, laws, etc.

21.regulatory agency (noun)

English Meaning - an independent governmental body established by legislative act in order to set standards in a specific field of activity, or operations, in the private sector of the economy and then to enforce those standards.

22.body (noun)

English Meaning - organization, association, syndicate, federation.

23.seem (verb)

English Meaning - appear, look like.

24.embody (verb)

English Meaning - include, consolidate, encompass, assimilate, integrate.

25.cast (verb)

English Meaning - cause, make, give.

26.ire (noun)

English Meaning - angry, rage, wrath, fury, displeasure, annoyance, vexation, iritation.

27.AYUSH (noun)

English Meaning - the acronym of the medical systems that are being practiced in India such as Ayurveda, Yoga & Naturopathy, Unani, Siddha and Homeopathy. These systems are based on definite medical philosophies and represent a way of healthy living with established concepts on prevention of diseases and promotion of health.

28.in a particular light (phrase)

English Meaning - used to describe how something appears, depending on certain conditions or points of view.

29.keep down (phrasal verb)

English Meaning - cause something to remain at a low price/level.

30.navigate (verb)

English Meaning - handle, negotiate

31.in one’s favour (phrase)

English Meaning - in support of.

32.sort (noun)

English Meaning - type, kind, form, variety.

33.proprietary (adjective)

English Meaning - patented, licensed, branded, own-brand.

34.evade (verb)

English Meaning - avoid, sidestep, get past, bypass, dodge, circumvent, steer clear of, get round.

35.presumably (adverb)

English Meaning - apparently, allegedly, supposedly, ostensibly, evidently, seemingly.

36.grease/oil the wheels (phrase)

English Meaning - to make things happen smoothly.

37.cynical (adjective)

English Meaning - sceptical, doubtful, distrustful, suspicious, disbelieving, doubting.

38.sidestep (verb)

English Meaning - avoid, evade, get past, bypass, dodge, circumvent, steer clear of, get round.

39.Drugs and Cosmetics Rules, 1945 (noun)

English Meaning - An Act to regulate the import, manufacture and distribution of drugs in India.

40.Rule 170 of the Drugs and Cosmetics Rules, 1945 (noun)

English Meaning - It deals with the power to take action against objectionable or misleading advertisements about Ayurvedic, Siddha, and Unani drugs.

41.penalise (verb)

English Meaning - punish, discipline, mete out punishment to.

42.confront (verb)

English Meaning - deal with, tackle, attend to (a problem or difficulty).

43.tendency (noun)

English Meaning - trend, habit.

44.disguise (noun)

English Meaning - false appearance, outfit, fake get-up, concealment, camouflage.

45.post facto (adjective)

English Meaning - literally means after the fact; doing something after something happened; retroactive, retrospective.

46.end of the line (phrase)

English Meaning - final outcome, conclusion.

47.sate (verb)

English Meaning - fully satisfy; gratify completely; to provide with more than enough.

48.spell out (phrasal verb)

English Meaning - explain, make clear, elucidate, illustrate, clarify, demonstrate, simplify, get across, interpret.

49.concessionary (adjective)

English Meaning - relating to concession (compromise, exception, modification, adjustment, accommodation).

50.measure (noun)

English Meaning - action, step, move, procedure.

51.falter (verb)

English Meaning - hesitate, delay, stall, be undecided, be indecisive; lose strength, lose momentum, to stop making progress; to stop being successful.

52.disuniform (adjective)

English Meaning - nonuniform, irregular, variable, unbalanced.

53.more so (phrase)

English Meaning - to a greater extent or degree; additionally, as well, besides, furthermore, in addition, likewise, moreover.

54.alternative medicine (noun)

English Meaning - it refers to unproven or disproven methods used instead of standard medical treatments to prevent, diagnose, or treat diseases.

55.last-ditch (adjective)

English Meaning - eleventh-hour, last-minute, final, the last moment; almost too late.

56.backstop (noun)

English Meaning - support, help, assist, back, bolster, prop up, reinforce; to act/serve as a backstop (emergency plan) to.

57.in the face of (phrase)

English Meaning - despite, notwithstanding, regardless of; when confronted with.

58.progressively (adverb)

English Meaning - increasingly, more and more, additionally, to a greater extent.

59.outcome (noun)

English Meaning - end result, implication, ramification, repercussion.

60.regime (noun)

English Meaning - system.

61.empower (verb)

English Meaning - authorize, entitle, permit, allow.

62.political capture/state capture (noun)

English Meaning - a type of systematic corruption whereby narrow interest groups take control of the institutions and processes through which public policy is made, directing public policy away from the public interest and instead shaping it to serve their own interests.