Health ministry bans bigger diclofenac vials to save vultures
Nagpur, 2015:
The Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, in a big boost to vulture conservation, has banned multi-dose vials of diclofenac, an inexpensive non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug effective for treating pain and inflammation in cattle and humans but one that is toxic for vultures once they scavenge on diclofenac administered cattle.
A notification issued by the health ministry states that the diclofenac formulation for human use will henceforth be available only in single dose vials of three mls. This will prevent its misuse on cattle. The drug was banned by the Drug Controller General of India in 2006 for veterinary use. Surveys by Bombay Natural History Society (BNHS), Mumbai, had revealed that multi-dose vials of the drug meant for humans were still being used on cattle.
The vials for humans were till now available in 30ml whereas the advisable dose is three ml for humans and 10-15 ml for adult cattle, leading to misuse. Only three companies in India had voluntarily ceased production and over 70 others ignored the request. BNHS and other organizations brought the misuse to the notice of authorities 3-4 years ago and persistent advocacy eventually resulted in this notification. "It will go a long way in preventing possible extinction of vultures by drastically reducing misuse of multi-dose vials, without any significant threat for legitimate use on humans," said BNHS officials.
Populations of three vulture species - oriental white-backed, long-billed and slender-billed vultures - that were once common started declining in South Asia since the early 1990s. By 2007, these three Gyps species of vultures in India had declined by about 99%. BNHS-India, in association with UK-based Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) and several state governments, has been trying to conserve vultures through captive breeding, research and advocacy.
In response to the population crash, BNHS scientists, along with state forest departments are successfully running four vulture breeding centres in Haryana, West Bengal, Assam and Madhya Pradesh along with lab-based research, advocacy and field research such as carcass sampling for nearly a decade now. "The latest notification is a big relief to these critically endangered vulture species. As part of advocacy efforts, proactive attempts are being made to keep at least 100 sq km area of natural habitats, called vulture safe zones, across the subcontinent, free from diclofenac," said BNHS officials.