Hyderabad: Drugs Control Administration officials from the Ranga Reddy zone along with the Special Operations Team (SOT) and Balapur Police on Tuesday and Wednesday seized several bottles of Oxytocin from Salala, Kothapet, Balapur, Balapur mandal, Ranga Reddy District, belonging to one named Salam Bin Mahmood Misri.
During the raid, officers detected 50 unlabelled transparent PET bottles, each of 200 ml purported to be Oxytocin injections. Salam-Bin-Mahmood Misri allegedly illegally stocked injections containing Oxytocin for sale.
Oxytocin is misused by many by administering it to dairy cattle to increase milk production, stated the DCA. However, such unauthorized use of oxytocin may have adverse effects on animal health, said V B Kamalasan Reddy, director general of the DCA.
DCA officers seized the stocks during the raid. Further investigation shall be carried out and action shall be taken as per the law against all the offenders. Unauthorized stocking and sale of Oxytocin injections is punishable under the Drugs and Cosmetics Act, with imprisonment for up to five years.
In a separate case, DCA officials on Tuesday, March 19, seized the antibiotic Merozford 1 gm injection (Meropenem injection IP 1 g) sold at higher prices in Warangal. DCA director general V B Kamalasan Reddy said the product Meropenem injection IP 1 g was being sold under the brand name ‘Merozford 1 gm injection’ is under price control as per Drugs (Prices Control) Order, 2013.
The price of the product shall be in accordance with the ceiling price fixed by National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority (NPPA), Government of India. The product Merozford 1 gm injection is manufactured by Broad injectables and is marketed by Orllyford Healthcare, from Himachal Pradesh. Its MRP Rs. 3390/- for 1 g vial on the product label which is a violation of the Drugs (Prices Control) Order, 2013, said the DCA.
The Ceiling price fixed by the Central Government along with the Wholesale Price Index (WPI) for the product “Meropenem injection IP 1 g” is Rs. 952.68 for 1 g vial (Ceiling Price). Hence Maximum Retail Price (MRP) i.e. including GST 12 per cent should not be more than Rs. 1067 for 1 g vial (MRP=Ceiling Price+GST).
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