Dinesh Kamath's Editorial (Prevent manufacture of fake drugs) that was published in Newsband

Prevent manufacture of fake drugs

Sleep is very necessary for every human being. Hours of rest can give one mental peace.

But natural sleep is better than artificial one. The prescriptions for sleeping tablets and drugs are supposed to have a soothing effect but can be addictive and even fatal at high doses. Till now, the need for such artificial inducements for sleep was associated mainly with the tension-ridden environment of the Western world with its marital and employment problems. Now we find many Indians too taking drugs to get good sleep.

A survey revealed that one out of every 20 Indians are plagued by sleep disorder. Along with the induction of the Western focus on a jet-setting lifestyle, long working hours, recourse to alcohol for ‘relaxation’ and families from where parents are excluded, upper and middle class Indians have become prone to bouts of angst and melancholy that can make it difficult to sleep easily.

There is little doubt that those who are lower down in the social and economic scale also suffer from anxiety and depression because of their greater physical strain and monetary hardship. However, their far more active life enables them to sleep more easily. This privilege is denied to the more affluent because of their sedentary ways.

It is necessary, therefore, to study the sleep patterns of individuals in present-day India before prescribing medication since it is a problem that is likely to grow rather than diminish, especially in the higher echelons of society. What is more, young people may begin to experience the ill-effects of a frenetic lifestyle in greater numbers. A healthy nation must not only eat well, but also be able to sleep well.

There are some companies which indulge in making and supplying fake drugs which promise good sleep. Such companies also manufacture drugs which are supposed to have magical powers. The Food and Drug Administration deserves all support in its crusade against fraudulent firms manufacturing, advertising and selling medicines that have magical powers. Television channels should be penalized for telecasting advertisements promoting such drugs to control baldness, diabetics, obesity and to improve sexual prowess.

The Drugs and Cosmetic Rules, 1945, specifically prohibit manufacture and sale of such drugs. The exact size of the illegal business is not known but it is definitely worth hundreds of crores of rupees. In one case, a capsule that claims to have aphrodisiac properties was found to contain nothing but roasted chana powder. The only major expense involved was in advertising these products, which were primarily directed at gullible people. Even if the victims do not repeatedly buy the medicine, the company would have made its profit and would have found other victims.

These companies which manufacture such drugs and media firms which promote such fraudulent companies need to be severely dealt with by the authorities.