Questioning a crackdown (Restricting Oxytocin in India)

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Questioning a crackdown (Restricting Oxytocin in India)

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• Oxytocin, a key drug in maternal care: From September 01, its production by private sector will be ended, and only a PSU will do it. Fears of shortages are high.
• Why the restriction? The government is unhappy about overuse of Oxytocin on milch cattle to stimulate higher production. By this restriction, the Ministry of Health hopes to reduce misuse.
• Multiple scientific studies: Over the years, while the suggestions of Mrs Maneka Gandhi (regarding misuse) were recorded in official meetings, many technical experts have also said that oxytocin is needed for both humans and animals, and causes no major harm. The only harm to cattle is addiction, which can cause a loss of response to normal injections.
• Basis of government order: The Central Govt. has used an order by the Himachal Pradesh High Court (in a PIL matter) based on newspaper reports of oxytocin misuse. The final order in 2016 blamed oxytocin for a range of diseases in humans and cattle (impotence, hair growth in women, balding in men…). The Court neither cited any scientific study in its judgement, nor took note of existing scientific studies
• Check the feasibility of PSU production: All that the Court ordered was “to check the feasibility of public sector production”! The Central Govt. has used this order, and issued its own order under Section 26A of the Drugs and Cosmetic Act.
• Courts have the power: The Courts can always set aside such orders of the government (blanket ban on private sector production) under Section 26A. It happened in the case of Union of India vs. Pfizer (2017).
• Delhi High Court: It is hearing a challenge to the govt. order. It must reinforce the idea that without detailed studies of feasibility, drugs regulation is not to be done in this manner.
• Summmary : For a blanket ban on production of any drug, the government must conduct detailed feasibility studies first.

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