The Hindu Business Line : Vulture decline: Pressure builds to ban Diclofenac

The conservationists' plea to save the vulture has had some impact, with the Animal Husbandry Department "advising" State Governments not to purchase or stock the drug in their dispensaries.

Mumbai , Feb. 8

IT is a frequently used pain-killer in humans, but the veterinary use of Diclofenac has hastened the decline of the Asian vulture species in the country.

So much so, that experts in the field are calling for a ban on the drug that, according to them, is the difference between life and extinction of the Asian vulture.

Diclofenac is used as an anti-inflammatory drug in cattle. But vultures die when they ingest the drug after feeding on the carcass. Veterinary diclofenac is the main reason for the catastrophic decline, over 97 per cent in 10 years, says Mr Chris Bowden, Vulture Programme Director with the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB).

And the conservationists' plea to save the vulture has had some impact, with the Animal Husbandry Department "advising" State Governments not to purchase or stock the drug in their dispensaries. Animal Husbandry Commissioner, Dr S.K. Bandyopadhyay, told Business Line that they were evaluating related issues like the availability of a replacement drug, its cost etc. The office of the Drug Controller-General of India (DCGI) too is involved in these consultations and evaluating the veterinary use Diclofenac. However, they gave no time-frame on when the issue would be resolved.

Meanwhile, scientists with the Indian Veterinary Research Institute have conducted a study on Meloxicam, as a replacement to Dicofenac. A scientist involved with the study told the correspondent that the replacement drug was found to be non-toxic in vultures.

Veterinary Diclofenac is an estimated Rs 20 crore market and about 25 companies, including Ranbaxy and Wockhardt manufacture the drug. The drug is priced between Rs 14 and Rs 22 for a 30 ml vial, said a representative with one of the companies making Diclofenac. The replacement Meloxicam is made by companies including Intas, though the price is about two times that of Diclofenac.

The Ministry of Environment and Forests (MoEF) too is echoing the conservationists' plea for a ban on Diclofenac. Mr R.P.S. Katwal, Director of Wildlife Preservation (MoEF), said they have recommended a phase out and eventual ban of the veterinary use of Diclofenac.

Significantly, no less than Prime Minister, Dr Manmohan Singh, is reported to have favoured the phase-out of diclofenac in six months, says Ms Nita Shah, a wildlife biologist with a vulture advocacy programme. She points out that despite Dr Manmohan Singh's observation at the National Wildlife Board meeting in March last year, there has not been much done to implement it.

Dr Asad Rahmani, Director of Bombay Natural History Society, also points out that advisories are not enough. There should be an official ban on the drug if the vulture has to be saved from extinction, he says.

And if Meloxicam is too expensive, the Centre will have to find ways to get more companies to make the drug and bring down the cost. It will be a small price to pay to save vultures from the brink of extinction, he says, emphatically.