The State Drug controllers from across the country have appealed to the Drug Technical Advisory Board (DTAB), urging them to take immediate action to restrict the manufacturing and use of some narcotic and psychotropic drugs in the country in the public interest.

This demand comes in the wake of widespread and uncontrolled use of these drugs by individuals for addressing their drug addiction needs. Regulators fear that if the situation persist it will lead to the failure of the healthcare system within the country as more people, especially youth, are found to be falling in for the addiction of these narcotic and psychotropic drugs as an effective source for intoxication.

Among the drugs that have been suggested to be banned under section 26 (a) of the Drugs and Cosmetics Act (D&C Act) are opiate narcotics like codeine, opioid agonist like dextropropoxyphene and diphenoxylatean as they are hardly prescribed by any doctors in the country. Likewise, to further ensure patient safety, the drug regulators also want to curb the misuse of some psychotropic drugs as well like nitrazepam, 10 mg capsules; buprenorphine injection and tablets and pentazocine injection. The regulators hope that keeping in with the well being of patients, these drugs should be categorised under the schedule Z so that their use can be restricted only in the hospitals rather than otherwise.

Ajay Singla, drug controller, Punjab, stressed that there is an urgent need to damage control the situation as more and more people from the state are using these drugs. According to Singla, “We are very concerned with the prevailing situation as more and more people are getting addicted to these dangerous drugs. It is high time to take a serious step to control the use  of these drugs in the country.”

He informed that though these drugs are not banned in country the state regulatory body has already issued an order restricting the use and manufacturing of these drug within the state. However, these drugs are still available in the market through indirect means as these are still manufactured in other states.

Dr G L Singal, the state drugs controller of the Food & Drugs Administration (FDA) of Haryana pointed out that this is not just an issue faced by a single state but a nationwide problem that needs to be tackled at the earliest. “These drugs are widely available in the market without any restriction which makes it easy for the wrong doers to misuse the same. We are hopeful that the government will soon take  action to ensure that the health of the patients are not put at risk due to the same,” said Dr Singal.

It is understood that considering the importance of this matter it has already been referred to the DTAB on preference basis. Other drug regulatory officials like G Selvaraj, director of drugs control,Chennai, Tamil Nadu, Dr H G Koshia, commissioner, Food & Drugs Control Administration, Gujarat and Karnataka drugs control department are also supporting this representation.