A batch of Oxytocin injections from Jackson Laboratories in Rajasthan has been flagged as substandard during investigations into maternal deaths in Kota. Authorities have initiated disciplinary actions against the company and imposed a ban on the sale and use of the affected batch statewide. Hospitals, pharmacies, and medical stores have been instructed to remove these injections from their stocks.
Rajasthan’s Principal Secretary (Health), Gayatri Rathore, confirmed that disciplinary proceedings are underway against the pharmaceutical company. There are concerns about whether the affected drug was given to other pregnant women in hospitals. Medical experts, however, caution against directly linking these injections to the maternal deaths.
The controversy escalated following the deaths of five women in Kota during treatment. A team from AIIMS Delhi visited Kota for an inquiry after which it was recommended to test the medicines given to the patients before drawing conclusions. Laboratory analysis revealed that the Oxytocin injection batch lacked the necessary active ingredient, raising alarms in the State Medical Department and Drug Control authorities.
The Rajasthan Food Safety and Drug Control Commissionerate issued an official Drug Alert stating that the sample failed quality tests. Investigators found that the tested sample had no Oxytocin content. The injections were supplied to Kota hospitals through local channels, prompting an investigation into whether the same batch reached other hospitals or the open market.
Assistant Drug Controller Devendra Kumar Garg mentioned that Rajasthan Medical Hall supplied the injections, which were used on around 12,500 women during childbirth over four months. Authorities have seized the remaining stock of the failed batch following the drug testing report. The injections were confiscated from Kota Medical College and J.K. Lon Hospital, along with those held by the supplier for further distribution.
Dr. Ritika Mathur explained that Oxytocin is mainly used to induce labor pain and stimulate uterine contractions during normal deliveries. She questioned why blame was solely on the injection batch when many women who received it during normal deliveries did not face complications. Investigations into the broader maternal deaths case are ongoing to determine the exact causes.
