Doctors want `deadly' fairness creams to be banned for ever: report

The Indian Association of Dermatologists, Venereologists and Leprologists (IADVL) wants the government to keep the ban on 15 skin creams lifted at any cost, even as the pharma companies affected by union health ministry's ban on 344 fixed dose combination (FDC) drugs have approached courts seeking to lift the ban.

Reports quoting the doctors say the FDCs used in these 15 skin creams, that figure in the list of over 100 banned brands (mostly fairness cream brands), have deadly combinations that use a mix of steroids, antifungals and antibiotics, which have been found to cause skin infections.

A majority of members of the dermatology association say, that even without a ban, they would never prescribe any of these 15 FDC skin creams, according to a report in The Times of India.

"Dermatologists rarely prescribe FDC-based skin creams with steroids, anti fungals and antibiotic properties as these three are used for treating three different skin problems. However, due to lack of knowledge, general practitioners and quacks often prescribe these skin creams with disastrous consequences," said Dr Rajetha Damisetty national convenor for the IADVL task force against topical steroid abuse.

Even top skin cream brands use active ingredients such as Clobetasol Propionate, Ofloxacin Ornidazole and Terbinafine with a combination of steroids, antifungals and antibiotics. Use of such FDCs often reduces resistance to infections and diabetes due to steroid-combination cream abuse, according to Rajetha.

Members of the association pointed out that a study on 2,926 patients across 11 hospitals in the country in 2011 has found that skin creams caused infections in 53.4 per cent urban and 96 per cent rural patients.

"When we use a combination of drugs we cannot identify the exact drug, which is causing the side effects. When there is an alternative, FDC-based skin creams should be avoided," said Dr Swapna Kunduru, consultant dermatologist, Continental Hospitals.

"For example, when we use clobetosol in combination with neomycin, clobetosol masks the side effects of neomycin." Doubts are also being raised by experts like Dr Manmohan, consultant dermatologist, Apollo Hospital, that such creams may even lead to drug resistance.

According to Dr MSS Mukharjee, senior consultant cardiologist, Maxcure, Madhapur, the licensing authorities are also at fault for abuse of FDCs in skin creams as, "Under Drugs and Cosmetic Rules, 1945, state drug control administration should give licences for FDCs after they are cleared by Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation. This rarely happens."