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India's government orders labelling of diclofenac products
The Indian government has ordered a crackdown on companies selling the drug responsible for the near-extinction of vultures. A letter from the Drug Controller General of India, Dr Surinder Singh, has warned more than 70 drugs firms not to sell the veterinary form of diclofenac and to mark human diclofenac containers 'not for veterinary use'.
Despite the ban on manufacturing veterinary diclofenac made in 2006 (follow link for this earlier news), vets and pharmacists have continued to human forms of the drug for the treatment of cattle. These actions are continuing the rapid decline in vulture numbers that for one species has now decreased by 99.9% since the introduction of diclofenac. The continued use of human diclofenac for veterinary use comes despite an effective and safe drug called meloxicam being available in India and Nepal. Research by the Indian Veterinary Research Institute and collaborators has established that meloxicam is safe for vultures.
The crackdown from the Indian government has come about through the hard work of Dr Nita Shah, Head of the Vulture Advocacy Programme at BNHS. Nita reports that "This step by the Indian government demonstrates its determination to tackle the vulture crisis and we are very hopeful that other measures will follow. Measures that make veterinary and human diclofenac less easy to use are crucial if we are to save these birds. Steps to make meloxicam, which is just as effective in treating livestock, more widely available are just as important."
In his letter, Dr Singh said drugs companies should 'strictly implement' the ban on veterinary diclofenac and properly label human diclofenac containers and literature. He drew attention to an Indian government directive of May 2006 in which companies were given three months to stop making and marketing diclofenac. This action would 'help in saving [the] vulture population and ecological balance in [the] animal world', Dr Singh said. He added: 'However...diclofenac formulation for veterinary use is still in circulation and there are rolling over/leakage of human diclofenac formulations into [the] veterinary sector.'
Research published by the BNHS earlier this year showed three species of Asian vulture could have only ten years to live unless diclofenac use on cattle was halted. Research from India, Nepal and Pakistan indicates that the use of human diclofenac products for the treatment of cattle is widespread.
Chris Bowden, from the RSPB comments that: "Vultures need immediate action from across the board to stop vets using diclofenac and to support the captive breeding programmes that are so badly needed to prevent the extinction of these fine birds."
News of this story has been published at the following site
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/earth/main.jhtml?xml=/earth/2008/08/21/eavulture121.xml
Update from Chris Bowden (RSPB) August 2008
For more news on the work of the Dr Nita Shah and the Vulture Advocacy Programme in India and internationally follow these links:
Advocacy programme
Worldwide progress for vultures
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