Naloxone sold at much higher rates
Source: Hueiyen News Service/ Pramod Ningomba
Imphal, May 25 2011:
Naloxone, a drug used to counter the effects of opiate overdose, like heroin or morphine overdose which cost only ' 108 is being sold at much higher rates ' 3000 or more in the black market.
Naloxone is the only drug available to counter the effects of opiate overdose in state and the Lamphel Pharmacy is the authorized stockist in the state.
The maximum retail price of the drug is only 108 as printed and its wholesale rate is ' 88.50 only.
This drug is used for emergency purposes and people normally buy it through people sent out by the pharmacies as their representatives in the hospitals.
They charge anything from ' 3000 to ' 5000 .
Family of a drug addict, Sanjoy (not the real name), who was recently brought to JNIMS hospital disclosed that they bought the drug from a representative of a pharmacy at ' 5000 .
They said, they knew that the drug is being sold at a much higher rate but there was no time to bargain.
Meanwhile, with the increasing number of drug addicts in the state, hospitalization of overdose cases is also on the rise.
As per a record maintained by the SASO, five drug users were hospitalized due to overdose in 2004.It rose to 10 in 2005, then to 18 in 2006 .
Fifteen drug addicts were hospitalized in 2007, 25 in 2008 but it jumped to 85 in 2009, then to 165 in 2010, SASO president Sashikumar said adding that for the year 2011 till date, 24 overdose persons have been hospitalized.
As per the record, ages of drug addicts range from 15 to 45 years and though it is rare, women were also brought to hospitals with overdose symptoms.
With the increase in the number of overdose cases, the demand of Naloxone drug has also increased in the state.