With the government’s ban on the anti-diabetes drug Pioglitazone, more than 30 lakh diabetes patients across the country will be forced to use costlier, less effective drugs, or make the switch to insulin.
The Centre had issued a notification announcing the ban on June 18. Along with Pioglitazone, two other drugs, Analgin (painkiller) and Deanxit (anti-depressant), were also banned due to health risks associated with them. While medical experts have not reacted much to the ban on the other two drugs, due to many available alternatives, the ban on Pioglitazone has not gone down well.
A panel of doctors said that empirical evidence was not considered while banning the drug, even though its benefits outweigh its risks. There are also rumours circulating in the medical industry that the ban was meant to promote alternative drugs that had been hit by the availability of a cheaper option.
Various doctors’ associations have either written, or are in the process of writing, to the Central government about the efficacy of the drug and why the ban was unnecessary. Dr Vijay Panikar, a diabetologist at Lilavati Hospital, said, “Every drug which has an effect will have a side-effect as well. The government should have considered the fact that in the case of Pioglitazone, the benefits outweigh the risks.” Dr Panikar also pointed out that in 2000, when Pioglitazone was launched, the sales of insulin and other combination drugs decreased drastically. He explained that the ban would force patients to either begin using insulin, or other drugs in this group.
Experts say that there are only two molecules found in the glitazone class — rosiglitazone and pioglitazone. While the former was banned three years ago due to cardiovascular side-effects after usage, Pioglitazone, the only molecule left, is now facing a blanket ban as well. “The United States is already considering reintroducing Rosiglitazone due to its effectiveness. Our government has to think on similar lines as well,” said Dr Siddhart Shah, editor of the Journal of Association of Physicians of India (JAPI).
The glitazones are known for the health risks posed in known cardiac patients and elderly people. However, experts say that India’s status as a country with younger diabetics means that the drug is highly essential, and its prescription could have been controlled through smaller doses and a shorter time period for the dosage.