THE GIST of Editorial for UPSC Exams : 18 December 2018 (Right prescription: the ban on retail sale and private manufacture of oxytocin)

Right prescription: the ban on retail sale and private manufacture of oxytocin

Mains Paper 1: Science and Technology
Prelims level: Oxytocin
Mains level: Science and Technology- developments and their applications and effects in everyday life Achievement of Indians in science & technology

Context

•  In a crucial development that exposes the flaws in health policy-making in the country, the Delhi High Court quashed a government ban on the retail sale and private manufacture of oxytocin.
•  Rhe Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare notified in April , the ban referred to a 2016 Himachal Pradesh High Court judgment, which discussed oxytocin’s misuse in dairy cattle, fruits and vegetables.
•  However, soon after the order was issued, health experts pointed to the absurdity of it.

What is Oxytocin? Why it is so important?

•  Oxytocin is a life-saving drug used to stem post-partum bleeding among new mothers.
•  It had been listed by both the World Health Organization and the Health Ministry as an essential medicine.
•  Around 45,000 women die from post-partum complications in India each year, and in 38% of the cases the reason is hemorrhaging.
•  Without the easy availability of inexpensive oxytocin, efforts to stem the maternal mortality epidemic could have suffered a costly setback.
•  These worries led to the All India Drug Action Network (AIDAN), a patient-rights group, to challenge the order in the Delhi High Court

The Court’s advice

•  In its judgment on December 14, in response to AIDAN’s and drug manufacturers’ petitions, the court struck down the ban, calling it “unreasonable and arbitrary”.
•  The court found that the government had failed to weigh the danger the ban posed to thousands of young mothers.
•  It had failed to show that the drug was widely misused for veterinary purposes, the purported reason behind the order.
•  Several bits of evidence cited in the judgment support this analysis.
•  Even though the Centre claims to have made 25 illegal drug seizures across India in a three-year period, 12 of them didn’t actually find oxytocin.
•  Among those that did, none involved licensed drugmakers.
•  Karnataka Antibiotics & Pharmaceuticals Limited, the only authorised oxytocin producer after the ban, did not have the capability to manufacture it until mid-2017.

Way forward

•  It is mystifying why the Centre clamped down on licensed manufacturers with a proven track record, while roping in a state firm with no real experience.
•  The most damning observation in the judgment is that the Centre focussed on the health of milch animals, without considering the well-being of women.
•  This was despite the fact that all statutory bodies, including the Drugs Technical Advisory Board, had advised against a ban.
•  This episode ought to compel policy-makers to reflect on the process that led to the ill-conceived order.
•  Several questions must be answered. On what basis did the Centre overrule the advice of multiple statutory bodies?
•  What led to its acceptance of sporadic reports of the drug’s misuse, without clinching proof?
•  It is time for a post-mortem of how health policy is made, because that is the only way to safeguard the right to health of Indian citizens.

Online Coaching for UPSC PRE Exam

General Studies Pre. Cum Mains Study Materials

Prelims Questions:

Q.1) Central govt. has restricted the manufacture of formulation of Oxytocin. Oxytocin is a neurotransmitter hormone produced in which part of the brain ?
A) Thalamus
B) Hypothalamus
C) Parietal lobe
D) Frontal lobe

Answer: B

Mains Questions:
Q.1) What led to its acceptance of sporadic reports of the drug’s misuse, without clinching proof?