Jaipur, May 26: A serious health crisis has emerged in Rajasthan following the discovery of substandard oxytocin injections manufactured by Jackson Laboratories. These injections were linked to maternal deaths in Kota, prompting an immediate investigation. Authorities confirmed that disciplinary action is being taken against the company, and a statewide ban on the sale and use of the affected batch has been implemented.
Hospitals, pharmacies, and medical stores have been instructed to remove the injections from their stock. Gayatri Rathore, the Principal Secretary of Health in Rajasthan, confirmed that the pharmaceutical company is facing disciplinary measures.
Investigations are ongoing to determine if other pregnant women admitted to hospitals received the same medication. However, medical experts have cautioned against directly linking the injections to the deaths. Gynecologist Ritika Mathur stated that the likelihood of maternal deaths being caused by the injections is extremely low.
One of the deceased women, Shirin, reportedly did not receive the injection but still suffered from kidney failure, leading to her death. The controversy intensified after five women died while receiving treatment in Kota.
In response to the situation, a team from the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) in Delhi visited Kota to conduct an investigation. The expert team recommended that a thorough review of the medications administered to patients be conducted before drawing any conclusions regarding the deaths.
Earlier, samples of the medications were collected and sent for laboratory analysis, which revealed that the batch of oxytocin injections was substandard and lacked the necessary active ingredients.
This finding has raised significant concerns among state medical officials and drug control authorities. An official drug alert issued by the Rajasthan Food Safety and Drug Control Commissioner indicated that the sample failed quality testing conducted by the Central Drug Laboratory.
Investigators reported that no oxytocin was detected in the tested samples. It has been reported that the injections were supplied to hospitals in Kota through local procurement channels. Authorities are now investigating whether this batch was distributed to other hospitals or reached the open market.
Meanwhile, Assistant Drug Controller Devendra Kumar Garg revealed that a firm named Rajasthan Medical Hall supplied the injections. He noted that approximately 12,500 women received these injections during childbirth over a four-month period. Following the receipt of the drug testing report on Monday, officials seized the remaining stock of the failed batch.
Authorities confiscated 2,479 injections from the Kota Medical College’s stock, valued at around 25,000 rupees. Additionally, 72 injections were seized from JK Lone Hospital, and about 950 injections held by the supplier for further distribution were also confiscated. Garg emphasized that the chemical analysis failed because the injections lacked the essential active ingredient, oxytocin, and reiterated that the use of these injections is not directly linked to deaths, kidney failure, or similar fatal complications.
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