India's oxytocin ban delayed by a month as Delhi HC hears cases against it

NEW DELHI: In a potential setback for the health ministry, the Delhi High Court on Thursday suspended for a month its ban on private companies from making and selling oxytocin as it continues to hear cases to stop the move. The court will hear the case next on September 12, lawyers present during the proceedings on Friday told ET.

"This is an interim move for the court to provide enough room to hearing all the arguments in this case," said one of the persons present during the hearing on condition of anonymity.

Oxytocin is a hormone drug used to induce labour in pregnant women and stall post-partum bleeding.

The ban was to come into effect from Saturday and would have restricted the production and sale of oxytocin in the country to public sector manufacturer Karnataka Antibiotics and Pharmaceuticals Ltd (KAPL). The centre had announced the move in order to prevent the drug's illegal supply and misuse in cattle.

The government's ban, if implemented, would impact drug makers like Mylan and Pfizer. While Mylan is one of the companies that has opposed the ban in court, ET reported on July 26 that Pfizer already stopped manufacturing the drug and was planning to exhaust its finished inventory of the product within two month's time.

ET had also reported then that the impending ban had sent hospitals into a panic-buying mode.

Patient activist group All India Drug Action Network has also filed a Public Interest Litigation to stop the ban, citing reasons such as KAPL not being equipped to handle the required demand of the drug.

ET is awaiting responses to queries sent to Mylan and AIDAN on this development and will update this article.