New Delhi: The union health and family welfare ministry has advised states to create policies and identify strategies to prevent over-the-counter sales of drugs that require a prescription, according to the officials aware of the matter. The move is aimed at allying growing worries about the harmful effects of using pharmaceuticals improperly.

Though it’s already illegal to sell prescription medicines over the counter, a lack of checks means the practice remains rampant.   

“A meeting was held in May for health representatives of all the states. There was a detailed discussion on what steps could be adopted and new guidelines issued to end over-the-counter sale of prescription drugs,” said one of the officials cited above.

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Kerala has already taken measures to do so. The state’s drug control department conducts such inspections under ‘Operation AMRITH’. Citizens can also report pharmacies that sell prescription drugs without documents.

“The purpose of the meeting with all states was that to exchange ideas on how these sales can be controlled. There is no data available on which states have the highest over-the-counter sales of prescription drugs, but the centre is taking the matter seriously. The Indian Medical Association was also consulted for the meeting. However, as of now, no new guidelines are being framed by the central government,” another official said.

Also read: Govt doctors told to give suggestions on over-the-counter drug sale in 3 months

The Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation (CDSCO) recently formed a sub-committee to examine potential amendments of the Drugs Rules to declare certain drugs as fine for over-the-counter sale, based on a recommendation by the Drugs Technical Advisory Board (DTAB).

Over-prescription is a problem, too

The rampant sale prescription drugs without a doctor’s note isn’t the only major problem India’s drug industry and regulators are facing. Over-prescription of antibiotics is a serious issue, too. 

Earlier this year the National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) published a report that said many common diseases in India were slowly becoming drug-resistant and that patients were taking longer to recover thanks to over-prescription of antibiotics. It said 3rd Gen Cephalosporines was most commonly prescribed antibiotic, followed by Imidazoles and Aminoglycosides.

Also read | Overused, overprescribed: Antibiotics ineffective among ‘sizeable’ Indian population

Dr Jugal Kishore, head of community medicine at Safdarjung Hospital, said many doctors prescribe antibiotics using guesswork rather than expertise, causing damage to public health.

“These pathogens can mutate, like covid did. This is why, despite advances in the development of antibiotics, no disease has been eradicated using them. In the coming days it will become hard to treat even common diseases. Large numbers of people are not qualified doctors, yet prescribe a cocktail of medicines. That is why antimicrobial resistance (AMR) has become a challenge,” he added.