ISLAMABAD: A hormone used to increase the production of milk by cattle that has been banned by the Supreme Court was being sold for three times the original price on Sunday.

However, Drug Regulatory Authority of Pakistan (Drap) CEO Dr Mohammad Aslam believes the situation will soon be under control, since the provinces have been asked to confiscate the stock available in the market and production of the hormone has been halted.

`For ages, humans have been getting milk from cattle without using hormones, so the current panic in the market is just for a limited time and things will improve with the passage of time, as farm owners get used to it,` he said.

Drap had banned the synthetic recombinant bovine somatotropin (RBST) in 2015, but a stay order issued by the Sindh High Court had allowed its sale to continue in Sindh, which then continued across the country.

On Jan 6, the stay order was vacated by the SC, and Drap directed health authorities across the country to confiscate the hormone.

On Sunday, the hormone disappeared from the main wholesale medicine market in Bohar Bazaar in Rawalpindi because of the demand and reappeared in medical stores, where it was sold at three times the price.

Mohammad Ilyas, who owns a cattle farm near Tarnol, told Dawn a number of farm owners bought the hormone in large quantities on Sunday so they could continue using it until its supply begins to come from alternative sources, such as manufacturing by unregistered companies.

When asked why they needed the product, Mr Ilyas said that in addition to increasing the production of milk, such injections also make it easier to get milk from cattle.

`I remember that decades ago it was very dif ficult to get milk from cattle, especially in the absence of a calf. If we have a calf it becomes easier to get milk from the cow, but as the calf drinks some milk somepeople prefer to get rid of the calf and use injections to get milk,` Mr Ilyas, who is in his 60s, said.

`Moreover, every animal has a different time to give milk, so there can be a difference of hours to get milk from different cows, but by using the injection it becomes possible to get milk f rom 100 cows at almost the same time.

It requires less labour and all the milk can be sent to the market at once, which saves on transportation charges,` he added.

However, he added that while it may create problems for farm owners, he believed they would become used to it.

Dr Aslam, however, said that when the product was banned in 2015, all the stakeholders were consulted.

`Some of the farm owners showed similar concerns but there were also some farm owners who were in favour of banning the injections. As there is more harm as compared to the benefits, it was decided to ban the hormone, but sale could not be stopped because of the stay granted by the court,` he said.

`However, now, after SC orders, not only has it become possible to take action against the persons involved in the sale of the hormone but cases will also be registered and heavy fines will be imposed, due to which the sale and purchase of hormone will be stopped as the provinces are also serious about it.

Dr Aslam added: `It is a simple thing that people used to get milk while such hormones were not available, so they can get the milk if the hormone will not be available in the market again. The production of milk is increased by 10 to 15pc, so farm owners should think about the health of people and not about their financial benefit.

Health expert Dr Hina Shaukat told Dawn that hormones used to increase the production of milk are banned in developed countries.

`These hormones cause early puberty in young girls and develop breast cancer. The Punjab government is very serious about stopping the use of hormone which is [worth appreciating] and strict action should be taken against those who use the hormone,` she said.