Govt. bans four drugs in J&K for their risk to human life

Tahir Mushtaq

JAMMU, July 09: The Drug Controller General of India in the notification by the Union Health Ministry has banned four drugs owing to heavy risk for the human life in their consumption.

Officials said that department of Drug Controller has banned these drugs through the order of Government of India in exercise of powers conferred under Section 26A of the Drugs & Cosmetics Act, 1940 issued notification to suspend manufacture, sale and distribution these drugs.

The four drugs included Dextropropoxyphene and formulations containing Dextropropoxyphene, fixed dose combination of Flupenthixol + Melitracen, Analgin and all formulations containing Analgin, Pioglitazone and all formulations containing Pioglitazone.

In the order the chemists and druggists have been directed to stop the sale of these formulations with immediate effect and return the unused stocks to their original manufacturers.

“There are many such drugs which were banned by the concerned authorities but still these are manufactured and being supplied at a low cost” said a source.

Sources informed that many times the department with the help of police in special drives has spotted the drug peddler supplying banned drugs from one part of the state to others.

Talking to TNI, Controller Drug J&K Satish Gupta said that the order is issued by Government of India some days back keeping in view health hazard to the people due to the consumption of these drugs.

“There are other safer alternatives available in the market so the department decided to ban these drugs” Gupta said.

It is pertinent here that in the month of March a drug scam was detected when after the lab tests it was found that an antibiotic tablet named Maximizen-625 which was supposed to contain 500 mg of Amoxicillin had zero percent of it. This drug is manufactured by Affy Parenterals, Himachal Pradesh and marketed by Medley Pharmaceuticals Ltd, Mumbai. These antibiotics used to cure bacterial infection, were supplied to different hospitals across Kashmir region.

Few months back government had ordered check on the use of abortion drugs, Misoprostol and Mifepristone in Jammu and Kashmir, with directions to Pharmacies that prescription of only gynecologists should be accepted while selling these drugs.