“Dispense Antibiotics Only On Prescription Of A Qualified Doctor”: Government To Pharmacists

Directorate General Of Health Services (DGHS) asked all pharmacist associations in India in an urgent appeal to dispense antibiotics only on prescription of a qualified doctor.

Under Drugs & Cosmetics Rules 1945, a letter from DGHS said antibiotics are included in the list of drugs specified under Schedule H, which are required to be sold by retail on the prescription of a Registered Medical Practitioner (RMP) only. Some high end antibiotics are included in list of HI drugs.

“This is an urgent appeal to all the pharmacists in the country to strictly implement schedule H and HI of the Drugs & Cosmetics Rules and stop over the counter sale of antibiotics and sell them only on prescription of a qualified doctor,” it said.

The letter said Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is one of the top global public health threats facing humanity and it is estimated that bacterial AMR was directly responsible for 1.27 million global deaths in 2019 and 4.95 million deaths were associated with drug resistant infections.

“AMR threatens the effective prevention and treatment of infections caused by resistant microbes, resulting in prolonged illness and greater risk of death. Treatment failures also lead to longer periods of infectivity and the prohibitive high cost of the second-line drugs may result in failure to treat these diseases in many individuals,” the letter said.

The letter also said misuse and overuse of antimicrobials is one of the main drivers in the development of drug resistant pathogens. “With few new antibiotics in the Research & Development pipeline, prudent antibiotic use is the only option to delay the development of resistance,” it added.