All drugs and drug ingredients made by two Apotex factories in India have been banned by Health Canada.

Health Minister Rona Ambrose explained last night that the trust between the regulator and the Toronto based drug company has been broken.  She says the regulator has significant concerns and serious doubts about the company’s drug safety and quality data.  The import ban will remain in place until so called “data integrity problems” at Apotex are resolved.

The move comes after a Toronto Star investigation revealed Health Canada had little influence over drug companies and that a previous request by the regulator to ban imports from an Apotex facility was ignored by the company.

Ambrose responded last week by announcing a quarantine of all products from an Apotex factory in India.

The ban affects more than 30 drugs, including a generic form of Viagra, the antibiotic azithromycin and other drugs to treat hypertension, dementia, high blood pressure, and Lou Gehrig’s disease.