Doctors want ban on 'deadly' fairness creams to stay

HYDERABAD: While pharma companies affected by Union health ministry's ban on a list of 344 fixed dose combination (FDC) drugs have approached courts, the Indian Association of Dermatologists, Venereologists and Leprologists (IADVL) do not want the ban on 15 skin creams lifted at any cost.
Reason: The FDCs used in these 15 skin creams, tha figure in the list of over 100 banned brands (mostly fair ness cream brands), have deadly combinations tha use a mix of steroids, an tifungals and antibiotics which have been found to cause skin infections.A ma jority of IADVL members say, that even without the ban, they never used to pre scribe many of these 15 FDC skin creams.
“Dermatologists rarely prescribe FDC-based skin creams with steroids, anti fungals and antibiotic properties as these three are used for treating three different skin problems. However, due to lack of knowledge, general practitioners and quacks often prescribe these skin creams with disastrous consequences,“ said Dr Rajetha Damisetty national convenor for the IADVL task force agains topical steroid abuse. Even top notch brands use active ingredients such as Clobet asol Propionate, Ofloxacin Ornidazole and Terbinafine with a combination of ster oids, antifungals and anti biotics. Use of such FDCs often reduces resistance to infections and diabetes due to steroid-combination cream abuse, said Rajetha.
In fact, in a study on 2,926 patients across 11 hospitals in the country in 2011, it was found that such creams caused infections in 53.4% urban and 96% rural patients.
“When we use a combination of drugs we cannot identify the exact drug, which is causing the side effects. When there is an alternative, FDC-based skin creams should be avoided,“ said Dr Swapna Kun duru, consultant der matologist, Continental Hospitals.
“For example, when we use clobetosol in combination with neomy cin, clobeto sol masks the side effects of neomycin.“ Doubts are also being raised by experts like Dr Man Mohan, consultant dermatologist, Apollo Hospital, stating that such creams may lead to drug resistance.
But, million dollar question is how does one get a licence for FDCs? “Under Drugs and Cosmetic Rules, 1945, state drug control administration should give licences for FDCs after they are cleared by Central Drugs Standard Control Organization. This rarely happens,“ said Dr MSS Mukharjee, sr consultant cardiologist, Maxcure, Madhapur.