(a) whether the Government has decided to ban diabetes pill rosiglitazone marketed as Avandia in the country;  (b) if so, the details thereof;  (c) whether despite the ban, a number of medicines including oxytocin are still being sold in the country;  (d) if so, the details thereof; and  (e) the corrective measures taken/proposed by the Government in this regard? ANSWER THE MINISTER OF HEALTH & FAMILY WELFARE (SHRI GHULAM NABI AZAD)  (a) & (b): The Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation (CDSCO) has requested all State Drugs Controller on 7.10.10 to suspend all the licences granted by them to manufacture for sale and distribution of the drug Rosiglitazone and its fixed dose combinations with other drugs with immediate effect.  (c) to (e): No. Any drug prohibited under the provisions of the Drugs and Cosmetics Act, 1940 and the Drugs and Cosmetics Rules, 1945 for manufacturing and sale in the country is not permitted to be sold in the markets in the country. Manufacture, sale and distribution of any banned drug is punishable under the provisions of the Drugs and Cosmetics Act, 1940. The Act contains stringent penal provisions for manufacture, sale and distribution of the drugs not conforming to the standards prescribed in the Act. Further, the drug Oxytocin is not banned in the country as it is considered as an essential drug in medical practice both in human and veterinary field.