The 3,000 pharmacy retailers and wholesaler outlets in Bangalore have started experiencing shortage of narcotics and psychotropic drugs, according to the Bangalore District Druggists and Chemists Association (BDDCA).

The pharmacy outlets are not stocking the drugs from January third week following a call from the All India Organisation of Chemists and Druggists (AIOCD) to boycott the stringency in the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act of 1985.

The pharmacy trade in Bangalore had taken a decision under the banner of BDDCA not to stock the drugs because of the compulsory signing of the Form 6 for wholesalers from C&F (clearing (forwarding & agents) and Form 7 for the retailers when they purchase from the wholesalers.

Every fifth drug sold in Bangalore is a psychiatric product, according to a section of the pharmacy trade in the city. However, no details on the sales figures were available.

"It is an impractical suggestion for the pharmacy trade to follow the Rule 67 of the NDDS Act," informed V Harikrishnan, president, Bangalore District Druggists and Chemists Association.

A section of retailers from at least 25 localities in Bangalore confirmed the scarcity. The chemists are directing the patients to hospital pharmacies including Manipal, Hosmat, Bowring & Lady Curzon Hospital and National Institute of Mental Health and Neuro Sciences (NIMHANS).

Sources from NIMHANS informed that currently, drugs stocks were sufficient in their pharmacies and it would take some time before they receive any intimation on the shortage.

According to Harikrishnan, C&F agents are despatching Form 6 to the wholesalers and retailers have refused to stock the drugs. The call for boycott by AIOCD would help the pharmacy trade and it is expected that the government would amend the NDPS Act, he added.

Drugs in the category of narcotics and psychotropic are consumed by critical and mentally ill patients who need accessible and affordable drugs. The assertion of NDPS Act in India will not be successful because it is usually the kith and kin of the patients who come to purchase the drugs. They come for the drug without a prescription because they are in a hurry to provide relief to the patients. Chemists provide the drug on request without prescription because they know the serious condition of the patient, explained Harikrishnan.

It is not viable to keep records on the sales of the drugs because of a lack of record maintenance system unlike the one prevalent in developed countries. In India, it is a common practice for doctors to write prescription on paper slips with no mention of doctors' code or date, asserted Harikrishnan.

On the pharma industry front, the AIOCD boycott has severely hit the drugs sales. According to market reports, the psychiatry segment for pharma companies is currently on the upswing in India and is expected to be one of the fastest growing segments in post 2005. In Karnataka, Micro Labs, Lundbeck and Zydus Neurosciences are the leading players in the segment and they preferred to remain silent on the issue.

It is learnt that the scarcity of the drugs has created panic among patients who are now approaching doctors for a change in treatment option.

A section of general practitioners told Pharmabiz.com that they had advised their neuro-psychiatric patients to take up medical options from Ayurveda and homeopathy which have alternative solutions for treating psychiatric disorders.