Maharashtra: 43 Chemists In Soup Over Sale Of Antibiotics

MUMBAI, 11 JULY 2019: Even as fears about antibiotic resistance grow by the day, little seems to have changed on the ground. The state Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has found indiscriminate dispensing of antibiotics by chemists in a special drive carried out across the state recently.

The drug regulatory body found that 43 of the 55 chemist shops surveyed across Maharashtra readily sold higher antibiotics, including schedule H1 medicines, without doctor's prescription. At least 13 of these chemists were from Mumbai, the FDA said on Wednesday, adding that Apollo Pharmacy, Generico, Metro Medical, have been served show-cause notices. Retailers may face suspension or cancellation of licence if their response is not satisfactory.

"Drugs under schedule H1 are only meant to be sold against doctors' prescription. But we found that they are widely bought and sold without a prescription. What the common people and even chemists don't understand is that indiscriminate antibiotic use is the primary reason behind the widespread problem of antibiotic-resistant infections. It also has long-term health ramifications," said FDA commissioner Pallavi Darade. Besides Mumbai, six violations each were found in Konkan and Nagpur division, eight in Pune and five each in Nashik and Aurangabad regions. "Several drug inspectors, who went as decoy patients, simply rattled off a few common symptoms and were handed out antibiotic tablets such as cefixime, levofloxacin and augmentin 625," said an FDA official. Some who said they had a mild cold or cough were also given the drugs.

The use of antibiotics-often when not needed, or with incorrect choice of medicine, incomplete dosage, failure to finish a course or taking it for too long-has been found as some of the leading contributors to resistance. Antibiotic consumption in India increased by 103% between 2000 and 2015-the highest in low and middle-income countries, according to a study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences in 2018. Compared to this, antibiotic consumption increased by 65% globally, the study found.

"Self-medication continues to be common with antibiotics freely available without a prescription. Though over the years, there has been an increase in awareness about antibiotic abuse, it has to improve," said a professor in medicine from one of the BMC's tertiary hospitals. Physician Dr Khushrav Bhajan concurred that antibiotic abuse has to be curbed from all directions. "It's not just in chemist shops but hospitals too, where antibiotic guidelines are violated. Even veterinarians prescribe rampantly to animals," he said. "While there are no new antibiotic drugs in the pipeline, we are dealing with newer and more resistant bugs," said Bhajan. The Times Of India