Shop found selling oxytocin illegally

NEW DELHI: A shop in east Delhi’s Ghazipur area was found to be selling 100 and 200ml plastic bottles of oxytocin during a raid by a joint team of national and Delhi’s drug regulators on Saturday. The raid was based on information gathered by the Central Drugs Standard Control Organization (CDSCO).

Oxytocin is a life-saving essential drug given to pregnant women to induce labour and prevent post-partum bleeding. The drug is usually available in 1ml ampoules for medical use.

However, the hormone is known to be clandestinely manufactured in larger pack sizes for use in cattle to produce more milk.

“Buying the smaller packs for cattle is not feasible. Animals require three or four ampoules of the drug used in humans; each unit costs around ₹16. It is of no use if people end up spending ₹60 for oxytocin on milk worth ₹100. Hence, these bigger units are manufactured,” S Eswara Reddy, the drug controller general of India had told HT.

The shop raided did not have any license for selling the drug. The drug control officers seized the oxytocin bottles and have sent them for laboratory testing. Meanwhile, an FIR has been registered against the owner of the shop.

In 2015 too, the national regulator had found two persons selling such plastic bottles of oxytocin in Ghazipur, which is Delhi’s biggest meat market and has several dairy farms.

The Central government had come up with a controversial ban on the manufacturing of the drug by private players and retail sale earlier this year. However, the Delhi High Court stayed the decision and is currently hearing arguments in the matter.