SAT Hospital says the risdiplam given free at its clinic is an approved generic, not an experimental drug

22 October 2026

SAT Hospital authorities in Thiruvananthapuram have denied the claim of parents of children with spinal muscular atrophy that the drug given free of cost at the hospital clinic was an experimental drug. Hospital authorities say what was given was the generic version of risdiplam, the patented original formula of which belongs to Roche. The generic is manufactured by the Indian firm Natco Pharma and has been approved by drug regulatory bodies in the country. The dispute over the distribution of the drug has taken on political dimensions in the State, with the Opposition demanding that the government address the concerns of the parents.