'Pharma products being smuggled outside India are misused'

Pharmaceutical preparations containing narcotic drugs continue to be diverted from Indian pharma firms and smuggled into South Asian countries and beyond, the latest report by the UN sponsored International Narcotics Control Board says.
"Pharmaceutical preparations containing psychotropic substances continue to be diverted from India's pharmaceutical industry and smuggled into neighbouring countries (in particular Bangladesh, Bhutan and Nepal) and elsewhere.
"The preparations containing psychotropic substances most commonly diverted from India's pharmaceutical industry are benzodiazepines and buprenorphine. In Bangladesh, ampules of buprenorphine are smuggled in from India," the report for 2012, released at an event here today, says.
The INCB is an independent and quasi-judicial monitoring body for the implementation of the UN drug control conventions in coordination with the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC).

The report further states that pilferage of stimulant drugs which are used to prepare higher classes of narcotics are also finding their way from across Indian borders.
"Pharmaceutical preparations containing narcotic drugs continue to be diverted from India and India continues to be the main source for those substances and for preparations smuggled into other countries in South Asia, as well as an important source for smuggling to other regions in the world.

"The preparations containing narcotic drugs that are most commonly diverted in India are codeine-based cough syrups, dextropropoxyphene and pethidine. Large quantities of preparations containing narcotic drugs are known to be smuggled from India into Bangladesh, Bhutan and Nepal," the report says.

Joint Secretary in the Department of Revenue M L Meena, who was present during the unveiling of the document, said his ministry has taken note of the observations in the report and the government has taken a number of preventive and corrective measures to curb the narcotics menace.
Meena was joined by another Joint Secretary in the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment T R Meena and Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) Director General Rajiv Mehta during the event.