[e-drug] Non-prescription sale of antibiotics (2)

["lmukura" <lmukura@cham.org.mw>]

E-DRUG: Non-prescription sale of antibiotics (2)
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Dear E-Druggers

This is quite a hot issue at the moment in Malawi and I would be very
interested to receive more information. Pharmacists in retail are
prescribing and dispensing antibiotics without a prescription and recently
the regulatory board has clamped down on the law-breakers. 

The problem in Malawi is most Doctors are still allowed to dispense and this
put a retail pharmacist useless because patients would get a prescription
and the drugs at the same time despite the law saying doctors should not
dispense within a 5km radius of a retail pharmacy. As a result of this,
retail pharmacies get very little prescriptions and may end up out of
business if they do not prescribe as well (including antibiotics).

I will be very interested to receive information on how other developing
countries are managing this problem.

Kind regards

Langton Mukura
Pharmacist, BPharm Hons, mps
Christian Health Association of Malawi
P.O. Box 30378
Lilongwe 3
Malawi
Phone: +265-1-775 180
Mobile: +265-9-745 015
Email: lmukura@cham.org.mw
           langtonmk@yahoo.co.uk