Should Anti-Ageing Medicines Be Banned in India? Experts Raise Concerns After Shefali Jariwala’s Death
The tragic and untimely death of actress Shefali Jariwala has sparked a nationwide debate on the safety and regulation of anti-ageing medicines in India.
New Delhi: The tragic and untimely death of actress Shefali Jariwala has sparked a nationwide debate on the safety and regulation of anti-ageing medicines in India. Experts are now urging for stricter oversight, citing the rising misuse of cosmetic and anti-ageing treatments that pose severe health risks.
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Shefali Jariwala’s Sudden Demise Raises Alarm
Shefali, best known for her 2002 music video ‘Kaanta Laga’, passed away in Mumbai on June 27 at the age of 42. While cardiac arrest is cited as the preliminary cause of death, reports suggest she had been self-administering anti-ageing injections during fasting.
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Unregulated Market Poses Serious Health Threat
According to Dr. Randeep Guleria, former AIIMS Director, “Anti-ageing medicine is becoming very popular, but it’s mostly unregulated. Many of these products are sold without scientific backing and can have harmful side effects, especially when used long term.”
Experts Say Anti-Ageing Is a Misleading Concept
Dr. Rajeev Jayadevan, Convener of the Research Cell at Kerala State IMA, emphasized, “Anti-ageing is not a scientific term. These products do not reverse or stop natural ageing. Skin whitening is possible with certain medications, but that’s entirely different from anti-ageing.”
Prolonged Use of IV Medications Raises Red Flags
Media and police reports revealed Shefali had been using glutathione and Vitamin C injections for nearly eight years without active medical supervision. Dr. Jayadevan warned that IV medications bypass natural filters like the liver and gut, leading to dangerously high drug concentrations in the bloodstream.
“Contamination is a major risk with IV treatments. We’ve already seen reports from Australia and the Philippines of contaminated glutathione vials,” he added.
India Among Top 10 Countries for Cosmetic Procedures
India is currently witnessing a cosmetic procedure boom, with the ISAPS Global Survey ranking the country among the top 10 globally for aesthetic surgeries, behind only countries like the US, Brazil, and Japan.
Call for Regulation – or a Potential Ban
“There is definitely a need to regulate such medicines,” Dr. Guleria stated. “If there’s no proper evidence about their safety or usefulness, and they are found to be harmful, then yes – they should be banned. The same applies to other misused products, such as muscle-enhancing drugs.”
