THE Food and Drugs Administration (FDA), Nagpur division, has unearthed illegal sale of Medical Termination of Pregnancy (MTP) pills in Cotton Market area. Owners of a medical shop have been booked and the police are in process of filing a chargesheet against the duo. The FDA officials got a tip-off about illegal sale of abortion medicine at M/s Prakash Medical and General Store in Cotton Market area. The officials laid a trap and sent a decoy customer to purchase abortion pills. The owner, Kailash Sadhwani, sold one kit (Clear Kit M, batch number 2082 HTA 142, expiry date June 22) for Rs 1,000 without bill.

 

“The said kit is marketed by Medley Pharmaceuticals Limited and manufactured by Synokem Pharmaceuticals Limited Haridwar (Uttarakhand),” an FDA official informed ‘The Hitavada’. A raid was conducted later by Drug Inspectors Monica Dhawad and Neeraj Lohkare and the illegal kits were seized. The firm had not submitted the sales bill for this kit. An FIR has been registered against owners Omprakash Sadhwani and Kailash Omprakash Sadhwani at Ganeshpeth Police Station after proper panchnama, informed Assistant Commissioner, FDA, Dr P M Ballal.

 

MTP pills is a schedule H drug and can be taken only against the prescription of a qualified gynaecologist. MTP pills are recommended by physicians only for pregnancies that haven’t exceeded 63 days. It is different from emergency contraceptive pills. In the said case the kits were traded in contravention to the law of the land. According to FDA, the medical shop sold the MTP kit without bill. There was no registered pharmacist available in the shop when the raid was conducted. Prosecution of the accused will follow after the chargesheet is being filed as per the Drugs and Cosmetics (D&C) Act and IPC A 120B, A 188, S 34. FDA along with Police Department are investigating the matter. FDA officials attributed the rampant illegal sale of MTP kits to on-line advertisements on different websites. Advertisements on social media are also playing a role in boosting illegal sale of MTP kits across the country, said top officials of the regulatory body.