Ethics of expert opinion and the observations of the department-related parliamentary standing committee on the CDSCO

On May 8, 2012, the Department Related Parliamentary Standing Committee (henceforth Committee) presented to the Parliament its 59th report on the functioning of Central Drugs Standard Control Organization (CDSCO) in the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW) (henceforth DRPSC Report).[1]With the media highlighting its findings, there was a public outcry on the way the country’s drugs regulator is functioning. At a time when the credibility of Parliamentary politicians is at the lowest ebb, report provided some hope as members of the parliament constituting the committee made some very incisive comments and recommendations to improve the regulatory work of the CDSCO.