A batch of oxytocin injection manufactured by Jackson Laboratories was recently banned by Rajasthan Drug Control Department, after the injection failed quality test. However, the same batch of drugs has been used at the New Medical College Hospital in Kota, where recently many pregnant and postpartum women lost their lives after undergoing C-section and uterine surgeries.

Oxytocin is a critical drug and is commonly administered while childbirth, this helps prevent excessive bleeding. But, the batch of Oxytocin that was banned failed laboratory test, and found to be fake, it lacked active blood-clotting component. Officials have confirmed that the same banned batch of drugs have been used at the hospital in Kota where many female patients lost lives recently.

Oxytocin Batch Under Scanner

Until now at least five women have lost their lives while being treated at the government hospitals in Kota, due to complications post-surgery. The preliminary report suggests that most of the patients had a sudden fall in blood pressure and even their blood platelet count dropped drastically, and some of them had kidney failure, and most cases happened just 8 to 12 hours after their procedures

Further investigation is on and it is being checked if the contaminated or failed IV fluid batches were administered at the hospitals. After these cases, a high-level inquiry has been initiated into the deaths, and also a team of specialists from SMS Medical College Jaipur have been sent to Kota to assist with treatment and also investigate the key reason behind the failures.

No final conclusion has been drawn in the case, investigation is being done.

11 Medicines Fail Quality Checks in Just 10 Days

Rajasthan Drug Controller Ajay Phatak shared that the entire stock of Oxytocin at the Kota hospital was seized and the usage, sale of the drug has been completely stopped in the state. Many medical staff have been suspended who are linked to the case. This development has come after multiple crackdowns on suspected counterfeit and substandard medicines in Rajasthan.

One of the officials confirmed that in this time span of 10 days, at least 11 medicines have been collected that have failed the quality check. As per the preliminary findings, commonly used medicines to treat fever, allergies, stomach infections, emergency pain controllers have been tested to be fake. These drugs have been imported from companies based outside Rajasthan. Mostly from places like Himachal Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat, Uttarakhand, Delhi and Maharashtra.

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