The Punjab government has banned the sale of pregabalin beyond 75mg to curb its misuse. The drug, used to treat neuro pain, has been highly misused in capsule/tablet form, leading to addiction.
District magistrates across the state have banned the sale and stocking of pregabalin over 75mg, targeting wholesalers, retailers, chemists, and pharmacies.
Pregabalin containing 150mg and 30mg has been highly misused, and people are getting addicted to the formulations, commonly known as signature. The crackdown aims to prevent the misuse of pregabalin tablets, which are not covered under the NDPS Act violation.
The state government had written to the Centre to introduce pregabalin in the H1 list, making it a prescription-only drug, but the decision is still pending.
Punjab DGP Gaurav Yadav has ordered strict execution of the orders and regular checks to ensure compliance. Police can now register FIRs against chemists or persons involved in selling pregabalin without prescription.
The orders require proper record-keeping and stamping of original prescription slips to prevent misuse. Wholesalers and retailers must ensure that pregabalin is not dispensed beyond the prescribed limit and that the prescription slip is genuine.
Police and drug inspectors will conduct surprise checks to curb the sale of pregabalin beyond the permissible limit. In Fatehgarh Sahib, police raided two medical stores, recovered over 700 pregabalin capsules, and booked two persons under Section 223 of the BNS.
The drug inspector will submit a report to cancel the licenses of the medical stores.
(Input from various sources)
(Rehash/Vaishnavi Dalvi/MSM)