The intelligence department of Gujarat Food and Drug Control Administration (FDCA) has seized 1,79,900 ampoules of fake oxytocin injection from an Ahmedabad-based pharmaceutical distributor. The ampoules are learnt to have manufactured at Gaya in Bihar.

The FDCA sources said that following a first information report filed by the Commissioner, the owner of one Sagar Medicals has been arrested. He revealed that he has been procuring this product in bulk from Bihar through some agents. The wholesale price at which the trader has been procuring the product in bulk is at Rs 8 per box of 100 ampoules and which is sold in the market at Rs 12 per ampoule, it is learnt.

The sample from the seized stock has been sent to the government testing laboratory for analysis. The FDCA sources said that only after the test results reach them, it could conclude whether the content in the detained ampoules are purely fake or substandard.

It may be mentioned that the oxytocin injection, which is indicated for stimulation or acceleration of labour, is widely used by diary farms and farmers to maximize the milk extraction from cattle. The labour stimulant, when it is given, helps release of breast milk while contracting the uterus muscle.

Since the farmers are aware of this particular function of this drug, they widely abuse the injection in milking cattle to drip the milk till the last drop. The injection is given to the milking cow/buffalo every day before milking. Though the drug abuse is also the worst cruelty towards animals, no authority has bothered to initiate action to prevent this practice. This has boosted sales of oxytocin injection among the farmers, which in turn encourages spurious drug manufacturers to enter opt to this product of late.