Agartala: The Tripura Health and Family Welfare Department has announced an immediate ban on the use of any intravenous (IV) fluids produced by West Bengal Pharmaceutical in 2023.
The decision comes in the wake of reports about the deaths of four lactating mothers in Ballari, Karnataka, allegedly caused by the administration of Compound Sodium Lactate Injection IV (Ringer Lactate Solution).
These incidents, reported in late Nov 2024, prompted the deputy drug controller to conduct extensive raids across various drug stores across Tripura.
A senior health official confirmed that there was no shortage of saline in the state’s major hospitals, GB Pant (GBP) and IGM, as adequate stocks are available at the central medical store.
“The department acted promptly after receiving complaints related to West Bengal Pharmaceutical’s products. Following the deaths in Karnataka, raids were conducted, but the problematic saline was not found in any local stores. However, four batches of the Ringer Lactate solution were discovered at GBP Hospital, and samples were collected on December 4, 2024,” the official stated.
“The health department acted promptly after receiving complaints related to West Bengal Pharmaceutical’s products. While the Ringer Lactate Solution linked to the Karnataka deaths was not found in any drug stores in Tripura, four batches were found at GBP Hospital’s medical store. Samples from these batches were collected on Dec 4, 2024, for testing,” the official said.
The Tripura government has sent the samples to the Regional Testing Laboratory in Guwahati for immediate analysis, with the results expected soon.
Due to concerns over the safety of saline solutions like DNS, NS, and RL from West Bengal Pharmaceutical, GBP Hospital’s Superintendent issued a temporary ban on their use on January 15, 2025.
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To address potential shortages, the Family Welfare and Immunization Department has supplied 10,000 units of Normal Saline (NS), 5,000 units of Dextrose Normal Saline (DNS), and 5,000 units of Ringer Lactate (RL), while the health department has supplied 4,000 units of NS, 2,000 units of DNS and 3,000 units of RL.
