Drugs ban worries city diabetics

After the Union health ministry banned 344 fixed dose combination drugs recently, chemists are still unclear and in confusion over the identity of the banned combinations, which is creating trouble for diabetic patients in procuring their medicine.

On Saturday, Anita Aggawal, a diabetic patient, had to run from one medical store to another in search of her anti-diabetic combination drug of Pioglitazone 15 mg and Metformin 500 mg. But all chemists refused to give her one after the ban on the combination of Pioglitazone 7.5 mg and Metformin 500 mg. Though the banned combination is different from the one needed by Anita, she said chemists still refused to give her the drug.

Anita is just one of the many patients who are suffering because of the sudden ban imposed on hundreds of combination drugs. According to the city doctors, as most of the chemists lack proper knowledge about the banned drugs, they are even refusing to provide medicine of the same drug with different combination.

“There is so much confusion among patients and chemists. The government has banned a combination of Pioglitazone 7.5 mg combination but now chemists are not even keeping Pioglitazone 15 mg combination. If diabetic patients don’t get medicines then it would affect their health,” said Dr Pradeep Gadge, diabetologist consultant, Breach Candy Hospital and Sevenhills Hospital.

When The Asian Age spoke to a few chemists, most of them lacked proper knowledge about the banned drugs, which results in them stopping sale of many drugs that are not even mentioned in the banned list.

“We got to know about it from media and we don’t even have the list. So, we are not keeping any combination of medicines that are in the list until all the confusions are cleared,” said a pharmacist who runs a medicine shop near Thane station.

Meanwhile, medical experts also raised concern on banning combination of Pioglitazone 7.5 mg and metformin 500 mg, which has been proved beneficial to Indian diabetic patients.

“As per international standards, patients are given a minimum dose of Pioglitazone 15 mg. But in India, many doctors have been giving Pioglitazone 7.5 mg, which has benefited patients in their treatment though there is no international research done on the usage of the use of 7.5 mg. This combination is not available in developed countries. But it doesn’t mean it is harmful or less effective or efficacious,” said Mr Gadge.

Doctors claim that banning such combination drugs would burn big holes in the pockets of patients.

“Doctors prescribe a combination that helps in reducing not only the number of pills but also the amount of money spent. These drugs have been proved to be fruitful in treating patients so there was no need to ban them so suddenly,” said DG Shah, secretary general, Indian Pharma Alliance.