Front Page   

Shortage of Vitamin C supplements in State

HYDERABAD: These are days when you ought to stack the refrigerator with loads of citrus fruits, rich in ascorbic acid, popularly known as Vitamin C. The retail drug market in the State, reeling under its shortage, is forcing physicians to prescribe multivitamins as an alternative.

While local manufacturers are still able to manufacture Vitamin C supplements in large quantities, popular brand manufacturers, however, are unable to do so. Escalating costs and shortage of raw material, 70 per cent of which is prepared in China, have led to the disappearance of Vitamin C supplements from the shelves of medical shops.

Physicians are also reporting shortage of Vitamin E supplements in twin cities. Vitamin E is vital to keep skin, heart and circulation, nerves, muscles and red blood cells healthy. Both Vitamin C and E are generally prescribed by physicians for patients with specific needs.

Top retail outlets like Medplus are suggesting to customers to go for multivitamins instead. “We have to check the quality of local brands before putting them on our shelves,” says COO of Medplus Apu Gupta.

Vitamin C supplements are vital for those patients, who are critically ill, have infections, recovering from respiratory disorders or struggling with allergies. HIV and critically ill patients are given one to three grams of Vitamin C per day. The supplements are also prescribed during winter to fight common cold.

“If you have a balanced diet, there’s no special need for Vitamin C. Amla, lemon and oranges are source of Vitamin C while Vitamin E is abundant in leafy vegetables,” says Superintendent of Gandhi Hospital B. Balraju.

The shortage of raw materials began during Beijing Olympics when raw material manufacturing industries were shut down to control pollution in Beijing. “Any industry will have ups and downs. Now that Olympics are over, things will improve,” says president for Bulk Drug Manufacturers Association of India M. Narayan Reddy.

In the recent months, cost of raw material has increased from Rs. 400 to Rs. 2,000 and the government has reduced the sale price from Rs. 15 for a strip to Rs. 10.

Printer friendly page  
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Stories in this Section

Onus on Pakistan as we can’t chase non-state actors: India
Services chiefs meet Manmohan
Pakistan armed forces on high alert
Inflation falls to 6.61%
Living with the scars, a month after the carnage in Mumbai
A terrorist’s bullet, not cancer, killed him
Diaspora to help India turn the heat on Pakistan
U.S. favours elimination of perpetrators
Indian High Commission not informed of arrests
“Common friends” trying to defuse India-Pakistan tensions, says Gilani
Commission preparing for elections, says Chawla
Cabinet nod for upgrading 30 CSIR posts
National highway projects cleared
China joins anti-piracy mission
Most influential, imitated dramatist of his generation
Maruti starts exporting A-Star to Europe
Team of the year
Tiwary hits unbeaten hundred
Prisoners in South Africa embrace yoga
Gilt-free shopping in U.S.
Cash-strapped families look to colleges in Canada
Indian-American doctor honoured
Snow for sport
A message of peace
Bird flu spreads to more areas in Assam
Steps on to get hostage released: Union Minister
Bids received for multi-level parking lots
Avoid travel to Pakistan: India
End ‘corrupt rule’: TDP-Left leaders
NHRC serves notice on CBI
A coin in memory of Benazir Bhutto
Eight segments go to polls today
Narendra Modi warns diamond barons
NSA invoked in UP murder case
Kurangani set to become a major tourist attraction in Western Ghats
Mirwaiz released
Cabinet nod for energy policy
Shortage of Vitamin C supplements in State
Death in station: police give many versions
CBSE exams to begin on March 2
States asked to ensure security at airports
Cabinet clears pay hike for Lt. Governors

Copyright © 2008, The Hindu. Republication or redissemination of the contents of this screen are expressly prohibited without the written consent of The Hindu