Last Updated on December 30, 2023 by The Health Master
N K Ahooja, State Drugs Controller, FDA Haryana represented the Haryana State at BIMSTEC two days conference held on 13th and 14th February 2020 at Vigyan Bhawan New Delhi.
Narcotic Control Bureau (NCB) under MoHA organised this two days conference on various aspects related to trafficking and abuse of Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances
Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation BIMSTEC which includes India, Bangladesh, Myanmar, Nepal, Sri Lanka and Thailand
On 2nd day of the conference i.e. 14th February during session on Trafficking of Pharmaceutical Drugs misused as Medical Intoxicants, especially Drugs containing Narcotics and Psychotropic Substances in the region made way forward vision to curb the menace of Medical Intoxication by Addicts.
This session was chaired by India, represented by Dr Bangarurajan and co chaired by Nepal and Bangladesh. Every member country made 5 to 10 minutes presentation and they all presented their Action Taken Report.
Also read: BIMSTEC member countries conference held for Combating Drug Trafficking
After that way forward vision was presented by N K Ahooja, State Drugs Controller, Haryana and highlighted following issues:
1 – Harmonization of Regulations at BIMSTEC member state level and BIMSTEC Secretariat can take up this issue. Specially addressing the problem raised by Bangladesh regarding misuse of Codeine based cough syrup and it’s trafficking through porous Indian border Ahooja suggested them to follow action taken by Indian Drug Regulations and put such drugs under stringent control.
2 – Exchange of Information for export permission or NOCs issued for Drugs containing Narcotic and Psychotropic Substances.
3 – Preparing a data base for actual demand of these drugs containing Narcotics and Psychotropic Substances and check the production.
4 – Limiting the production of such drugs by lowering the quota of basic API narcotic issued by competent authority under Narcotic Control.
5 – Penalities under Drugs and Cosmetics Act and Rules are less then NDPS Act and Rules therefore provisions of NDPS Act must be applied in addition to D and C Act and Rules as prescribed.
6 – NDPS provisions must be used to curb problem of misuse of Medical Intoxicants.
7 – Approval of Drugs after all phases clinical trials based on risk benefit ratio and if member countries resolve that now risk of Medical Intoxication is higher then benefits of treatment then must consider to ban such Drugs as India prohibited Dextropropoxyphene HCl for human use then after long time allowed restricted use for cancer patients.
8 – Research and Development for Non habit forming Sedatives can be undertaken to replace habit forming sedatives e.g. Diazepam, Clonazepam etc.
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