[india-drug] Antibiotics OTC sale

[Sunitha Srinivas <s.srinivas@ru.ac.za>]

(This is from the URL www.expresspharmapulse.com. The original version,
is on the URL 
http://www.expresspharmapulse.com/20031225/news07.shtml
Thanks?..SS)

DSPRUD to tackle antibiotics OTC sale under WHO Programme
EPP News Bureau, New Delhi
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THE Delhi Society for Promotion of Rational Use of Drugs (DSRUD) has in
a recent meeting with experts, chemists associations and government
officials, formulated a multi-pronged agenda to tackle the impact of
OTC sale of antibiotics. 

The gathering deliberated on various approaches to prevent irrational
use of antibiotics, which are one of the most essential and life-saving
category drugs. OTC sale leading to self medication cause for drug
resistance that will in turn result in putting the society at risk of
being devoid of effective medication and compelling it to move to newer
generation expensive drugs.
The conclusions of the meeting include educating pharmacists and
consumers through various forums and strengthening legislation. The
participants have recommended for enhancing manpower at the drug
controller office. The Drug Controller of Delhi, Dr Khanijo, in his
presentation pointed out the increased stress on booking chemists who
sell schedule H drugs over the counter.

Several chemist licenses were cancelled, he said. Making the
requirement of qualified pharmacist at chemist shop mandatory and
implementing the same stringently was one of the suggestions.

Another recommendation that emerged was to separately group antibiotics
under Schedule H and put in place stringent regulations on its over the
counter sale. DSPRUD intends to take up the discussions further in
smaller groups at different levels and at a later stage identify
different group of antibiotics to pursue vigorously. 

Antibiotics are freely available in the country without a proper
prescription. Such use of antibiotics is considered misuse/abuse, as
self-medication can lead to several complications having short term and
long term deleterious consequences to the society. Short term
complications are improper treatment leading to prolongation of the
disease besides several adverse effects like allergic manifestations
like asthma, damage to the vital organs like kidney and lever and
sometimes can have fatal consequences. 
The long-term consequences are development of resistance, which means
the particular antibiotic becomes ineffective on further use depriving
the patient of treatment and cure of several infective diseases. This
applies to many other group of medicines but in case of antibiotics it
becomes extremely important as misuse of antibiotics result in the
development of resistance, rendering the antibiotics ineffective
necessitating the use of newer expensive antibiotics.

DSPRUD under the leadership of Prof.Ranjit Roy Chaudhury and with the
support of WHO (India) has taken this initiative. Experts from
different fields like the Practitioners, Chemists and druggist
associations, regulatory authorities, planners and those who are
actively engaged in the welfare of the community. The prominent figures
from the regulatory side include Dr Khanijo, Delhi Drug Controller and
Principal Secretary Health. 



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