Recently banned drugs in India

The Indian government has banned three popular medicines the widely prescribed anti-diabetes drug pioglitazone, painkiller analgin and anti-depressant deanxit—in the wake of health risks associated with them.

While it's believed that pioglitazone can cause heart failure and increases the risk of bladder cancer, analgin has been discarded the world over on grounds of patient safety. Deanxit, on the other hand is a harmful combination, which has been long banned even in Denmark, its country of origin.The ministry of health and family welfare has suspended the manufacture and sale of all three drugs under Section 26A of the Drugs and Cosmetics Act, 1940 with immediate effect, through a notification issued on June 18, 2013.

During 2010-2011 , the Drug Controller General banned several drugs such as anti-diabetes medicine Rosiglitazone, anti-obesity drug Sibutramine, pain-killer Nimesulide for pediatric use, antibiotic Gaifloxacin, as well as Cisapride and Tegaserod, which are used for treating gastro-intestinal motility and irritable bowel syndrome , respectively. 

While the ban on Analgin in India has come after almost 36 years after the drug was banned in the US (which banned it in 1977), Pioglitazone was pulled out of France in 2011 for an increased risk of bladder cancer. 

 Analgin was withdrawn from Sweden in 1997 for the risk of causing a sharp fall in white blood cells, a potentially fatal condition. It is still being marketed in India, the house panel noted. The drug is also banned in France, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Japan among a host of other countries. Pioglitazone, howevercontinues to be sold in most other major markets, including the US, the UK, Japan, Canada. 

General advise: Do not self medicate with NSAIDs* (e.g. Diclofenac, Lornoxicam, Etoricoxib etc.) Frequent use of these drugs is associated with the development of kidney and liver toxicity and causing gastric ulceration and bleeding. Hence, do not take these medications for longer than advised by your doctor.

*NSAIDs: Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug.

#A related blog post link: http://sciencedoing.blogspot.in/2013/03/pollution-threat-vanishing-vultures.html

#Following sites to be referred for more banned drugs in India:

 http://www.drugscontrol.org/ban_drugs.htm

 http://www.pharmatutor.org/pharmapedia/banned-drugs-in-india-manufacture-sale

 http://cdsco.nic.in/html/drugsbanned.html

 http://addictionsupport.aarogya.com/resources/733-drugs-banned-in-india.html

#News thankfully shared from:

 http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com

 http://economictimes.indiatimes.com