Suprise Visit check by CDSCO finds banned Oxytocin in East Delhi

New Delhi: A chemist shop in the East Delhi's Gazipur area has come into the limelight after a raid by Central Drug Standard Control Organization (CDSCO) and Health Ministry found the unauthorized Oxytocin at the premises. The shop does not hold any license for the sale and distribution of drugs. Samples of the seized bottles have been sent for test/analysis, the ministry said.

CDSCO took series raid on the East Delhi Gazipur recently, based on information gathered by CDSCO through intelligence, a joint surprise check was carried out in various chemist shops, departmental stores and diaries in Gazipur, East Delhi by a team of officers of CDSCO and Drug control Department, NCT Delhi for search and seizure of unauthorized sale, distribution of Oxytocin.

During the search, the team has seized plastic bottles (200 ml & 100 ml ) suspected to be oxytocin injection, from a departmental store situated at C-9, Gazipur, Gazipur Dairy Farm, Delhi -96, run by Sh. Rajinder Pal Sethi S/o K. C. Sethi. The shop does not hold any license for sale & distribution of drugs as required under the Drugs and Cosmetics Act, 1940 & Rules,1945 made thereunder. The samples of seized bottles have also been collected for test/analysis as per the procedures under the said Act and Rules.

A case against the accused Sh. Rajinder Pal Sethi S/o K. C. Sethi has been registered at Station House Office (SHO), PS: Gazipur for contravening the provisions of Section 18 (c) r/w 27(b) (ii) of Drugs and Cosmetics Act, 1940 and FIR has been filed at the Police Station on 8.09.2018.Further action is in process for launching prosecution against the accused under the provisions of the Act.

Oxytocin is a peptide hormone used in various conditions such as induction of labor, control of postpartum bleeding or haemorrhage, etc.

However, its misuse is widespread in the dairy industry where livestock is injected with oxytocin to make them release milk at a time convenient to farmers. This prompted the health ministry to come out with strigent measures on the production and sale of oxytocin recently.

CDSCO had in 2015 raided various places in the same area and seized a large quantity of Oxytocin bottles from some stores and unlicensed premises.

Recently 'Oxytocin Ban', has finally been lifted by the Union Health Ministry, following complaints of rampant misuse of the drug, but strict regulations have been imposed on its sales. Moreover, the Delhi High Court on August 31 has also suspended the ban for a month.

The government has restricted the manufacture of oxytocin formulations for domestic use to just one public sector company. State-owned Karnataka Antibiotics Pvt Ltd (KAPL) will be the only company to manufacture and distribute oxytocin in India from September 1.

Read Also: Union Health Ministry Lifts the Ban on Oxytocin Retail, Regulation imposed.