Ban With 'Red Alert' Over 'Oxytocin' Hormone Injections Given To Child Prostitutes To 'Speed Up Puberty'

The menace of oxytocin hormone is back again. With the seizure of oxytocin injections from an unlicensed store in Jammu this week, it has become clear that the hormone is still being used for all the wrong purposes - notably to induce early puberty among girls who have been dragged into the flesh trade; or to induce quick childbirth; or to extract more milk from the cows. 

Not surprisingly, the Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation (CDSCO) has put all the states and Union Territories on high alert regarding oxytocin.

The CDSCO has asked the authorities to maintain a high vigil to curb the illegal sale of the hormone. 

In 2014, the Union government had banned the retail sale of oxytocin injections. 

“The drug is grossly misused in India. We want to restrict its use and keep a strict vigil on its sale. It is used to speed up child birth and is also used by several farmers to increase sizes of vegetables and fruits. Dairy farmers use it excessively to extract more milk from the cows and buffaloes,” said drugs controller general of India, Dr. G.N. Singh. 

“After we seized the oxytocin injections from Jammu, the state drug controllers have been directed to keep a strict vigil on the movement of the drug and take necessary action according to the provisions of the Drugs and Cosmetics Act 1940 and the rules made under it,” he said. 

“Not only this drug makes cows barren sooner but also lowers the lifespan of the animal, thus causing economic loss to the owner in the long run. It is widely being used in the dairy industry despite there being a ban on its sale, except by a prescription from a registered medical practitioner,” Dr. Singh added. 

A recent study conducted in South India in over 40 villages showed gross misuse of oxytocin injections for inducing labour in pregnant women at the primary healthcare centres. 

According to the study, published in the ‘Bio-Med Central Journal’, healthcare providers revealed that oxytocin was the most commonly-available and used drug for labour augmentation. 

Moreover, of the women who delivered a child at home, 76.4 per cent were administered oxytocin, mainly by an auxiliary nurse midwife in the dosage ranging between one to five injections. 

The study also revealed that most of the women were not told about the injection. 

Similarly, it was reported from the red light zones of Sodavas and Girvas villages in Rajasthan’s Alwar that 10-year-old girls were given repeated and unregulated shots of oxytocin injection to speed up their sexual maturation. 

The Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare banned the retail sale of oxytocin injections in 2014.

According to the rules, the manufacturers of the bulk oxytocin have to supply the active pharmaceutical drug only to manufacturers licensed under the drugs and cosmetic rules for manufacturing formulations of the drug. 

Also, the drug meant for veterinary purposes can only be sold to the veterinary hospitals. 

Recently, Union Minister of Women and Child Development Maneka Gandhi took up the matter with the secretary of health ministry, saying the misuse of oxytocin in animals is leading to a substantial loss of livestock in the country.