Restrict use of pain reliever Tapentadol: Child rights panel urges government

New Delhi: The National Commission for Protection of Child Rights has urged the government to stop over-the-counter sale of pain reliever Tapentadol, saying schoolchildren were misusing the drug to get high. The commission has also started framing guidelines for action against substance abuse, a government official said.

It has asked the Drug Controller General of India to place Tapentadol in the restricted category. “The chairperson, NCPCR recommended to examine the issue to notify the drug under Schedule H 1 of Drugs and Cosmetics Rules, 1945,” another official said.

The commission had earlier found that Tapentadol was being abused by school children in Tamil Nadu. The drug has chemical compositions like Tramadol, an opioid painkiller.


Availability of formulations of Tapentadol must be substantially reduced to identify their movement in the market, NCPCR said in its communication to DCGI.