Tamil Nadu leads on enforcing India’s nimesulide ban!

Tamil Nadu’s drug administration has carried out raids on pharmacies across the state and found banned drugs including nimesulide being sold for veterinary use. At least five pharmacies, two each from the Nilgiris and Coimbatore Districts and one from Tiruppur, were found selling nimesulide during the drug audit, and two of them already had their licenses cancelled – at least temporarily. The raids have focused on areas within the new initiative for establishing a ‘Vulture Safe Zone’ in South India.

ICAR-Indian Veterinary Research Institute (IVRI) had shown how such drugs including ketoprofen, aceclofenac and of course diclofenac which have been used by vets to treat cattle and other livestock, are then lethal to vultures feeding on carcasses of recently treated animals. IVRI has demonstrated the safety of very similar, equally affordable drugs such as meloxicam and tolfenamic acid which are readily available and can be used without such negative impacts.

SAVE Chair, Jemima Parry-Jones MBE congratulated Tamil Nadu for once again showing important initiative following earlier measures*. She said “It is very clear that the national bans of vulture-toxic veterinary drugs need stronger enforcement in all parts of India. India is showing important initiative but the rulings need stronger followup as is being shown by Tamil Nadu. Nimesulide from dead animals treated with the drug has been shown to kill vultures both by experimental studies and post-mortems of wild vultures. It is vital that more States to stand up for vultures by taking and publicising similar steps. These bans have an important purpose and should be taken seriously.”

S Marimuthu, Tamil Nadu’s Assistant Director of Coimbatore drug control department, said, “Nimesulide is a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) and is widely used to relieve pain and inflammation mostly in cattle and pet animals. It affects vultures when they eat the carcasses of these dead animals. Hence, the government banned the use and formulation of this drug from December 30, 2024, and instructed pharmacies to return these drugs to the manufacturers.”

 

 

He added, “As the drug was found to be toxic in the kidneys of vultures, causing death by kidney failure with consequent population declines, hence it was banned only for animal use. But, during the raids, we found a few pharmacies selling these medicines without prescriptions. He further said that the use of similar banned drugs is higher in rural areas located near the Western Ghats. Hence, they have intensified the checking as well as the awareness. He also insisted that pharmacies in Nilgiris should display information on banned drugs.

Director of Bombay Natural History Society, Kishor Rithe said: “I really congratulate the Food and Drugs Administration department of Tamil Nadu for this action. It will really help save Jatayu in India. The Government of India recently imposed a ban on veterinary use of Nimesulide. However, the latest surveys conducted by BNHS have shown that the drug is still in the pharma shops. I hope other state Governments also will take similar steps for the veterinary use of nimesulide.”

The Secretary of SAVE Associate Partner ‘Arulagam’ Bharathidasan S., with sincere gratitude, praised the prompt action taken by the Officials of the Tamil Nadu state government, especially the departments of forest and health, adding “There is encouraging momentum for vulture conservation from all sectors of Tamil Nadu.” Arulagam continues to work closely with officials, veterinarians, pharmacists, animal husbandry department and local cattle owners for the revival of vulture populations.

Jemima went on to point out “these birds are so vital to the ecosystem and are being sent towards extinction by the veterinary use of these toxic drugs, which is tragic, especially when safe options are available”

She added that: “It is thanks to enlightened officials in the drug authorities and forest departments that some progress has been made, listening and reacting to local conservation organisations such as Coimbatore-based Arulagam, and not just watching as vultures disappear from the landscape.”

 

*Note that Tamil Nadu had earlier led by example, restricting ketoprofen in 2015, so long before national bans in 2023. It remains the only Indian State to have restricted flunixin, another veterinary drug known to be lethal to vultures, but not yet banned.

 

Compiled by Chris Bowden, Advisor to SAVE

For more details on the drugs visit our NSAID Alert and other pages on the SAVE website