A British Asian entrepreneur has launched what he says could be a “landmark” legal battle against a major British tabloid newspaper, after he branded a report a “witch hunt”
The move comes after Nottingham-based Sukhi Ghuman reacted angrily to a Sunday Mirror article that reported that chemotherapy medicine imported from an Indian- based firm to the US was “knock-off”.
Nottingham-based Sukhi Ghuman returned to the UK from US in 2023, where as a “silent investor” he had built a group of seven successful cancer and rheumatology treatment clinics across Arizona and California.
He had begun treatment for his own cancer whilst in the states but last year returned to be closer to his Sikh family in the East Midlands.
Currently in remission and taking a sabbatical while he recovers, Ghuman was rocked by reports from The Sunday Mirror in early January revealing that he and his wife (a part-time bookkeeper) face extradition to the States for procuring goods without a licence.
Sukhi Ghuman says the charges had come “out of the blue” in November 2023 and were in danger of sullying his reputation as a respected entrepreneur.
However, he was even more taken aback by what he describes as “lazy” reporting after the paper branded the medicines “knock-off”;
“Frankly, I’m shocked and appalled. I’m stunned that a professional media outlet would casually use words like “knock-off” to describe medication from another country, especially a country (India) that manufactures 20% of the world’s global generic medication and 60% of the world’s vaccines were from major multinational corporations.”.
He added: “I am not sure where they got the story from – although I have my suspicions. I would expect more care from such an historic newspaper in terms of their phrasing. I do not dispute that the clinic practices, which were in existence before I became involved, were technically incorrect, however these are bona fide proper medication, without a single complaint in five years of operation.”
Sukhi Ghuman insists they were not “knock-off” or in any way harmful to anyone’s health.He added: “We treated thousands of patients, many of whom could not afford to have been treated otherwise, what was the doctor and clinic meant to do, turn them away?.
‘We spent $35m dollars on US medicine in addition to that limited quantity imported from India. However, despite what the Sunday Mirror report says they do not amount to ‘smuggling’ or ‘exploitation’ – the medication was shipped over correctly by cold chain mail from established companies like INTAS, BSV, Zydus Lifesciences, Sun Pharma and Cipla, not to mention three different pharma companies in IPSEN, Baxter and Bristol Myers Squib. I wonder, would these organisations find such language be acceptable?”.
Ghuman says he is “dismayed” as the clinics were operated passionately and diligently by professional cancer doctors and support teams.He added: “Although my intervention was minimal, having recently checked the buying records, we spent in excess of $35m buying medication from the USA. The existing practices of the clinic had utilised an overseas wholesaler, for those vulnerable that could not afford to buy the same product in the USA – which was ten times more expensive.,
“In the UK the laws are different as this is not related to profit, and you can purchase from overseas to treat oneself. Indeed, recent reports show that Florida can import medication from Canada as people cannot afford the astronomical cost of healthcare in the USA. However, with hindsight I would have paid more attention, than allowing the two clinics to run themselves with the current buying practices.
“I’m upset that The Sunday Mirror published sensitive news without proper validation that left me and my former USA colleagues dumbfounded, causing extreme distress to my family as I personally chose that medication for my recovery under my clinic.
“The case will be considered with proper background verification; however, it is time to address the situation where words live longer in this current Internet age. These medicines have the identical active ingredients which are approved and licensed for use in the US so hereby any ‘knock-off’ status is purely a false claim for page hits.”