Drugs banned: yet available in India

Deepak Kumar Mohanty

New Delhi

Wed, 25 Jul 2007: 

July 25: Despite an aspiring 10 percent economic growth and a growing health industry especially medical tourism, the health sector is severely affected by e increasing production and promotion of certain banned and fake drugs in all across the country.

In fact the latest reports suggest that India is one of the few countries that export large amount of various fake drugs to different parts of the world.

Many of the drugs that have been banned in developed countries are easily available in India. Chemists don’t hesitate to sell those drugs at their shops as doctors are continuously prescribing those medicines despite knowing their implication and side effects on the patient.

In fact the Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation run by the government of India has not made any strict guideline over a list of drugs that have been banned by European Union and USA.

The most pitiable feature is that not many of us know about those banned drugs and use regularly that causes long term implication for our physical health. The official first needs to lay down stringent laws and direct drug manufactures not to produce those.

Some of the common ones that are easily available and people use frequently without doctor’s prescription are D-cold, Nimesulide and Analgin. These are used as pain-killers but latest research shows that long term use of such medicines can affect human health in various ways by damaging liver, causing irregular heartbeats, depression, blood pressure fluctuations etc. This is the prime reason that most of European countries have disqualified and banned the manufacturing and consumption of these drugs.

However, Indian government has not woke up to the fact of these dangerous as well as spurious drugs that can be seen in central government’s Drug and Cosmetic Act which is yet to be re-evaluated after its formation in 1940 though has added various other concerns under Pharmacy Act. The act has only banned a combination of drugs per doses and also depending on particular diseases, but not these common medicines.

In fact even those drugs banned in India are easily and readily available in the market. Here comes the question of awareness as some manufacturer tell that they are not aware of the latest report. In fact it can be possible through a joint effort by the government, doctors, chemists’ association, and manufacturers. The physicians also need to update themselves with the latest developments regarding any adverse effects of drugs.