Q: Could you please tell me why Nimesulide is banned in many countries. And also, could you please let me know the names of its substitutes.

A:Nimesulide was never permitted to be used in United States, Canada, Britain, Australia etc. In few countries where it was permitted such as Finland, Spain, Turkey, it has been banned due to severe side effects including deaths and liver failure needing liver transplant. Its use in children was either not allowed at all including Switzerland, where the medicine was discovered, or if allowed (such as Portugal, Israel),it was banned in 1999 when some children died. Bangladesh has just banned the use in children with immediate effect and disallowed the import of bulk drug so that in effect the use in adults will also come to and end once the current stocks are exhausted. Nimesulide is a Non-Steroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drug (NSAID). There are many alternatives such as diclofenac (Brand names: Dicloran, Doflex) just to mention one.