The curious case of Oxytocin retail ban by government

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Viswanath PillaMoneycontrol News 

In April, the Health Ministry had come out with a notification to ban the import of oxytocin formulations. The government did not stop there, but proceeded to ban the retail sale of the drug in June.

The health ministry decided that from July 1 no private manufacturer will be allowed to manufacture the drug for domestic use and that it would only be manufactured by public sector unit Karnataka Antibiotics & Pharmaceuticals Ltd (KAPL).

It will be the sole supplier of the drug to registered hospitals and clinics in both public and private sectors. The government said the curbs on oxytocin is to restrict the abuse of the hormonal drug by the dairy industry.

The government’s decision seems to be precise as dairy farmers have been injecting the drug indiscriminately to cattle to boost milk production as oxytocin stimulates lactation.

The ill-effects of oxytocin on cattle and humans who consume them are yet to be studied in detail. Yet, experts concur that overuse or rather misuse of the drug could have adverse effects on the health of the cattle and indirectly to humans who consume the milk.

Oxytocin inflicts immense pain on animals and reduces their life span.

The ban

Oxytocin known as "hormone of love" occurs naturally in human beings aiding childbirth and breast-feeding.

It was synthesised by American biochemist Vincent du Vigneaud in 1953, leading to availability of synthetic versions.

The drug is a life-saver for women and is used to induce labour in pregnant women and to pause postpartum bleeding. The drug became an important tool in the fight against maternal mortality in India as it is cheap and widely available.

So critical is its role in maternal health that the World Health Organization recommends oxytocin as the drug of choice in postpartum haemorrhage.

The maternal mortality rate (MMR), according to the sample registration system (SRS) data released by the office of Registrar General of India early this year stood at 130 in 2014-16 declining from 167 in 2011-13.

MMR is defined as the number of maternal deaths per 100,000 live births. The metric is widely used by developmental economists to rate a country’s progress.

The 22 percent reduction in MMR since 2013 means that fewer women now die due to pregnancy-related complications each month in India.

However, the ban on oxytocin has caused a stir among medical practitioners. They are now worried about shortage of the drug and what this will do in the fight against protecting women's health.

India annually consumes 3 crore ampoules of the drug and 133 pharma companies produce it. The retail price of each ampoule is Rs 16.7.

What next?

Experts suggest that government should strengthen regulation and crackdown on illegal producers and distributors rather than banning it from retail stores.

The Drug Technical Advisory Board (DTAB) took up the matter at a meeting on July 25, and has proposed a dilution of the ban.

According to sources, DTAB is said to have suggested that the government allow those licensed under the Drugs and Cosmetics Act to sell or distribute oxytocin formulations, and confine it for human use only.