Tainting milk? Drap urged to ban all animal growth hormones

Drug regulator’s enlistment committee approves 23 manufacturers, rejects one

ISLAMABAD: After the Supreme Court had barred the use of a growth hormone injected in animals to increase milk production, a group of young pharmacists and drug lawyers have criticised the apex drug regulator in the country for failing to act against all injectable hormones.

In a joint press conference by the Pakistan Young Pharmacist Association (PYPA) and the Pakistan Drug Lawyers Forum (PDLF), they demanded that all hormone injectables, including oxytocin, should be barred.

PYPA Executive Member Dr Sehar Bashir claimed that the chief justice had banned all hormone injections used to increase the milk production in animals on January 6.

However, the Drug Regulatory Authority of Pakistan (Drap) had issued a notification banning only one hormone, the Recombinant Bovine Growth Hormone (rBST) without taking any action on the other hormones which are widely injected into cattle.

While experts are unsure the exact implications hormones injected in animals may have on humans, many believe they are a cause for spreading different kinds of cancers including those of the breast among women, prostate among men and inducing early puberty in young girls.

The PYPA and PDLF urged the apex court to take notice of this and direct Drap to ban all hormones used to increase milk production. 

Published in The Express Tribune, January 24^th, 2018.