Renu Kshetry

Kathmandu, May 30:

Seizes huge amounts of illegal drugs from Terai districts.

The Drug Advisor Committee formed under the coordination of health secretary today banned drugs containing pheny-propanol-amine as an active ingredient, which is commonly used for cough and common cold. The drug is available in the market under the brand names like D’Cold and Vicks Action-500. Nabin Shrestha, drug administrator at the Department of Drug Administration (DDA), told The Himalayan Times that the drug was banned as it has already been discarded in other countries and was in the process of being controlled in Nepal.

“The drug is banned as there are high chances that it can cause stroke among its regular users.” “The ban on the production, import and sale of the drugs will be implemented with immediate effect. The department will monitor the market,” Shrestha said. The drugs have been banned for causing serious health hazards, for their irrational combination, contradictory

effects, and they have high potential for misuse.

Meanwhile, the department has seized huge amounts of 20 different kinds of unregistered drugs and 28 different drugs labelled as dietary and nutritional supplements from the markets in Kapilvastu, Rupendhehi and Nawalparasi. The department seized banned anti-allergic drugs like Diclofene sodium and Paracetamol tablets, Diclo-P, Ciprofloxacin Hydrochoride and Tinidazole Tablets. “These drugs were banned as they have irrational combination and could prove fatal,” Shrestha said. “We are planning to take action against pharmaceuticals, which were caught selling the banned, unregistered and illegally-imported drugs,” he said. “Most of the seized drugs were commonly in use in border areas.”

The department also seized a huge amount of EP Forte Tab, which is generally used for abortion and is considered highly risky for health. “The drug was in high demand in Kapilvastu,

Nawalparasi and Rupendhehi,” said Santosh KC, a drug inspector with the department and who raided the pharmaceuticals in the above mentioned districts. Some drugs such as Roff-25 Cap, which have already been voluntarily discarded globally and are not registered in Nepal, too were found in the market, according to KC The department also seized illegally-imported drugs like Nimesulide (a painkiller), Albendazole (a deworming capsule), Cetrizine Di Hidrochoride (an anti-allergic drug), which were widely in use in the districts. They were illegally imported under different company names. The department inspected 351 drug stores and pharmaceuticals in eight districts during the last six months. There are altogether 18,000 registered pharmaceutical companies across the country.