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Updated - October 25, 2026 01:27 pm IST - Kozhikode
This image is used for representational purpose only. | Photo Credit: Getty Images/iStockphoto
The Kerala Sastra Sahitya Parishad (KSSP) has supported the Kerala Health Department’s decision to provide a low-cost generic version of the drug Risdiplam to patients afflicted with Spinal Muscular Atrophy (SMA), a rare and threatening genetic disorder that causes progressive muscle weakness.
In a statement, KSSP president C. Ramakrishnan and general secretary V. Manoj Kumar said that access to this medication is crucial for improving the quality of life and life expectancy of patients.
The statement from the pro-Left people’s science movement comes close on the heels of public health experts such as B. Ekbal, K.P. Aravindan, and V. Ramankutty endorsing the government’s stand.
The KSSP functionaries pointed out that Natco Pharma is an Indian pharmaceutical company that plays a key role in making affordable cancer treatments more accessible to the general public, both in India and in international markets. They claimed that the department’s decision is not merely aimed at saving public funds. It is a humanitarian responsibility to ensure that life-saving treatment is accessible to more SMA patients, they added.
Published - October 25, 2026 01:24 pm IST
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