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02/11/22 05:38 AM IST

Ban use of aceclofenac on cattle to save vultures

In News 
  • Indian Veterinary Research Institute (IVRI) has demanded a ban on using aceclofenac in cattle after a new study showed that the drug metabolises into diclofenac in water buffaloes — as it does in cows.
Major findings 
  • Aceclofenac gets rapidly converted to diclofenac after being injected into the water buffaloes.
  • Aceclofenac in water buffaloes poses the same threat to vultures as it is a pro-drug of diclofenac.
  • The drug caused accidental poisoning in raptors after they fed on carcasses of cattle injected with it. 
About Diclofenac 
  • Diclofenac — an anti-inflammatory drug — was banned for veterinary use by the Government of India in 2006.
  • It was found to be the main cause of a dramatic decline (99 per cent) of the vulture population across Asia.
  • The drug caused accidental poisoning in raptors after they fed on carcasses of cattle injected with it.
Vulture Action Plan 
  • It advocates the prevention of misuse of veterinary non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) by ensuring their sale only on prescription.
  • It also recommends that veterinary treatment should be given only by qualified veterinarians which would prevent the overuse of NSAIDs in treating livestock as the toxicity of most of the drugs is dose-dependent.
  • It promotes the scientific manner of disposal of livestock carcasses so that vultures do not get exposed to the carcasses of animals that died during treatment.
  • Vulture Action Plan 2020-2025 also mentions Aceclofenac as ‘toxic’, asking the Drugs Controller General of India (DGCI) to ban its veterinary use — along with other drugs like nimesulide and ketoprofen.
Source- DTE 

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