The Delhi High Court bench of Acting Chief Justice Gita Mittal and Justice C Hari Shankar on Thursday (April 12) said that the appeal for not selling steroids over the counter without prescription remains under interim consideration of the bench and is likely to be finalised shortly.

The appeal has been made by the Indian Association of Dermatologist Venerelolgists and Reprologists (IADVL).

Among the issues pointed out in the writ petition, attention has been drawn to a plea of August 12, 2016 that demanded an amendment to the Drugs and Cosmetics Rules, 1945.

The petitioner said today that steroids should be sold on the basis of prescriptions only. He said: “They (the government) have put the notifications, but in the footnote it says that anything applying on the skin does not need a prescription.

The petitioner also said that combination drugs are available in the market which have not got approval from the Drugs Controller. The petitioner said that they passed all creams containing steroids. Women use the cream on a large scale.

To that the bench observed that men also use facial etc. creams these days.

—India Legal Bureau