The pharma industry is today growing at around 11 per cent per annum as compared to a high of around 15 per cent about five years ago.

Piramal Enterprises share price rose nearly 2% to 2,284 level compared to the previous close of 2,240.15 on the BSE. Piramal Enterprises share price has been gaining for the last five days and risen 4.41% during the period.

The decision was taken after drug makers filed a petition, saying that these drugs were being manufactured since 1988. They cited the SC's earlier relief to 15 manufacturers on the bases of the similar grounds, saying that they should also be exempted from the ban.

As the industry is trying to digest the development, not totally unexpected though, there are fresh concerns on what could come next as the ministry-appointed Prof Kokate Expert committee had discussed banning many more FDC drugs.

India reportedly boasts around 2,000 FDCs, four times more that what's available in the US.

The FDC medicines are two or more drugs contained in a single dosage form. The health ministry says it took the decision to ban these drugs after the Drugs Technical Advisory Board suggested these drugs might pose a risk to human beings.

6,000 medicine brands worth about Rs 2,500-odd crore are likely to be banned soon.

The drugs under question are 349 fixed dose combinations drugs containing two or more active pharmaceutical ingredients in a fixed dosage ratio, which are floating in the Rs 1.1-lakh crore Indian drug market.

The court's observation came during a hearing that challenged a Delhi High Court order that had quashed the government ban on technical grounds.

In spite of favourable court verdicts, top pharmaceutical companies are losing enthusiasm for fixed dose combination medicines.

The $25-billion Indian pharma industry is going through intense regulatory scrutiny. Foreign drug regulators such as the US Food and Drug Adminis-tration (FDA) and EU's European Medicines Agency have increased their inspections of Indian drug manufacturing plants that export medicines to those geographies.

The unexpected government ban on FDCs has Indian pharma companies scurrying to courts.