Ban on Manufacture of Oxytocin by Pvt Firms Deferred by 2 Months

Oxytocin is a naturally-occurring hormone that causes uterine contractions during labour & helps new mothers lactate

Livestock are injected with oxytocin to make them release milk at a time convenient to farmers. Image use for representational purpose.

(Photo: iStockphoto)

The government had banned the import of oxytocin formulations and restricted its manufacture to the public sector only from July 1 earlier.

But latest reports say that the scheduled ban has been deferred by two months for now.

Oxytocin is a naturally-occurring hormone that causes uterine contractions during labour and helps new mothers lactate.

But its misuse is widespread in the dairy industry where livestock are injected with oxytocin to make them release milk at a time convenient to farmers. The hormone is also used to increase the size of vegetables such as pumpkins, watermelons, brinjals, gourds and cucumbers.

The ban has now been deferred by two months, as decided by the Health Ministry.

S Eswara Reddy, Drug Controller General India (DCGI) 

From the day the ban comes into effect, only Karnataka Antibiotics and Pharmaceuticals Ltd (KAPL), a public sector company, would be manufacturing the drug for domestic use.

The government has also banned the import of oxytocin and its formulations, besides bringing in some more regulations on the manufacture and sale of the controversial hormone.

In a statement released in June, the Health Ministry had said:

Oxytocin formulations meant for domestic consumption will be supplied by the manufacturer, i.e. KAPL, to registered hospitals and clinics in public and private sector directly. Oxytocin in any form or name will not be allowed to be sold through retail chemist.

The ministry had advised all registered hospitals and clinics in public and private sectors in the country to contact KAPL and place their orders with the company as the drug would not be available with retail chemists or any other manufacturer.

The ministry, in an earlier statement in April, had said that the manufacture of oxytocin formulations for export purposes can be done by both public and private sector provided all the products carried barcodes.

The manufacturers of active pharmaceutical ingredient (API), the part of the drug that produces its effect, of oxytocin will supply the API only to the public sector manufacturers in case of domestic use but also to private sector in case of export purpose, the ministry had said.

(With media reports)

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