Several drugs, banned in developed nations like US, Canada and Europe for adverse reactions, are freely marketed in the country by the leading Indian companies. The latest to enter the list is the placenta extraction which has been banned in advanced countries due to health hazards. The product is freely sold in India.

According to reports, all products containing extracts of human placenta have been banned by the US FDA since they can transit diseases and pose serious health hazards to those using them. Placenta extract was never permitted for use as medicine in the western countries such as US, UK, Australia, Canada and European Union due to lack of efficacy and safety data. However, some companies in US were importing products containing human placenta as dietary supplements. However, on April 14, 2008, all products containing human placenta extracts even for use as cosmetics have been banned by the US government.

But in India, human placenta extract sold as Placentrex lotion, gel, and injection is being actively promoted as a remedy for a variety of unrelated disorders such as vitiligo, wound dressing, prevention of adverse effects due to radiotherapy, fallopian tube blockage, female infertility, scarring, post-phlebitic ulcers, scars due to acne, etc.

According to MIMS journal, other medicines which were discarded globally but are available in India are thioridazine, tegaserod, phenylpropanolamine and nimesulide, to name only a few. Due to 10-fold increased risk of heart attacks and stroke, tegaserod used in the short term treatment of irritable bowel syndrome in females and chronic constipation in men and women has been banned globally. Even this drug is available in India under different brand names like Ibsinorm (Sun Pharma), Tegibs (Torrent), Tegaspa (Lupin), Tagon (Intas), Tegod (Cipla) Tibs-6 (Hetero), Irbez (Emcure), etc,
as there has been no action against it by the drug authorities.

Due to its potential to cause stroke, phenylpropanolamine used in cold and cough remedies was banned in North America and west Europe. But in India, pheny l propanolamine - containing cough and cold remedies such as D'Cold, Vicks Action-500, Wincold, etc are available in the market.

Same is the case with nimesulide which was banned not only in all the advanced countries but other 168 countries in the world. But, the medicine is available in India.