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SCIENCE COLUMN

Furazolidone,
anti-diorrhoel
drug causes
How do drugs
cancer work?

Drugs are chemicals or substances that change


the way our bodies work. When you put them
The term phenylpropanolamine Phenolpthalein into your body (often by swallowing, inhaling,
used as a laxative or injecting them), drugs find their way into
causes cancer your bloodstream and are transported to parts
of your body, such as your brain.
In the brain, drugs may either intensify or
dull your senses, alter your sense of alertness,
and sometimes decrease physical pain.
Chemical formula Bone Marrow A drug may be helpful or harmful. The ef-
of Analgin depression fects of drugs can vary depending upon the
kind of drug taken, how much is taken, how of-
(PPA) might not catch the attention of
a lay man, but the brand name Vicks ten it is used, how quickly it gets to the brain,
Action 500 certainly does. Several over- and what other drugs, food, or substances are
the-counter cough and cold medicines taken at the same time. Effects can also vary
contain the ingredient dextrometho- based on the differences in body size, shape,
rphan (also called DXM). If taken in and chemistry.
large quantities, these over-the-counter Although substances can feel good at first,
medicines can cause hallucinations, loss they can ultimately do a lot of harm to the
of motor control, and “out-of-body” (or body and brain.
disassociative) sensations. Since 1979,
over 30 published case reports have de-
scribed the occurrence of intracranial
hemorrhage after PPA ingestion.
Further, Vioxx™ the “silent kill- cine, take two minutes extra and ques- ban. Though India is the world’s fourth
tion the doctor about its side-effects and largest drug market by volume, its de-
composition. cisions to approve or ban medicines de-
None of us I am sure like to kill our- pend mostly on Western regulators.
Droperidol causes irregular heart beat selves by being ignorant of the devel- This is due to the fact that maximum
opments around the world. It’s not the number of drugs sold here, were discov-
years in your life that count. It’s the life ered abroad. So, should India be treated
in your years. as the dump yard of hazardous drugs?
In fact, a joint effort by the govern-
ment, doctors, chemists and manufactur-
Enteroquinol ers is needed to create awareness among
(Quiniodochlor),
an anti-diarrhoeal
the people. In India, the Drug Technical
Advisory Board (DTAB) is known to
Say no to
causes
damage to sight
be the supreme authority on imposing a
ban.
banned
Nitrofurazone causes skin cancer The harmful effects of the drugs
are examined by an executive commit-
drugs.
er.” After 100,000 injuries, the dangers drug market for matters of wealth not tee, which then reports the result to the
of this pain reliever became public.
Vioxx™ drug maker, Merck, knew of
health. Here are few more pictorial ex-
amples, illustrating the effect of certain
DTAB.
The government bans a drug if it
live a
these dangers for at least 4 years prior drugs on human organs and the reason
for ban.
is found to have harmful effects. The
Drugs Controller General of India
healthy life
to its removal. Instead of removing the
drug immediately, they kept it on the I have cited only a few examples. (DCGI) notifies all the state drug author-
Next time you are prescribed a medi- ities, chemists and manufacturers of the

42 July 08 July 08 43

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