Pharmabiz
 

ACCESS WITH CAUTION

P A FrancisWednesday, October 4, 2006, 08:00 Hrs  [IST]

The proposal to allow the sale of household remedies through unlicensed outlets in the country is snowballing into a major controversy as the pharmaceutical trade is strongly opposed to the move. Industry representatives, mainly the multinational lobby, and some consumer groups, on the other hand, are supporting the government initiative. The Union health ministry has sought the views of all concerned to the proposed amendment to the Drugs & Cosmetics Act some time back to bring about this change. By allowing the sale of a list of commonly used medicines classified under household remedies through groceries and other shops, government thinks that the access to medicine could be improved in the country. It is a fact that the modern medicine is not reaching several millions of people in the countryside even today despite the existence of 5 to 8 lakh retail chemists shops spread across the country. No doubt, this issue needs to be addressed as there is a general lack of interest amongst the trade to move to the rural areas. The AIOCD has described the new initiative as dangerous. It has said that the proposal could pose serious health hazards to the consumer. The trade body is of the view that the side effects of some of the medicines that have been proposed to be sold through unlicensed outlets could be quite serious. According to A N Mohan, President AIOCD, the opposition is primarily because medicines like lodochlorohydrox quinoline, a drug which should not be given to children below the age of 12, are included in the list. Even commonly used paracetamol can be dangerous if higher doses are taken for unlimited period. Same is the case with some of calcium preparations and cough syrups. As these products are likely to be taken without any medical advice, label comprehension with regard to disease symptoms, directions for use, warnings, etc are all extremely important. Usually, labels on household medicines do not indicate specified doses for children. In an environment like this, and in the absence of a pharmacist or a qualified person in unlicensed shops, dispensing household remedies could turn out to be quite harmful to lay public. And there is every possibility of misuse of some of these medicines at the cost of public health. This is indeed a matter of grave concern especially in the rural areas where health infrastructure is weak. The points raised by AIOCD, therefore, cannot and should not be ignored by the health authorities. Groceries and kirana shops are also fall outside the jurisdiction of state drug control authorities making it impossible for drug inspectors to undertake any raids to check quality of medicines. All these point to the need for abundant caution while government decides to allow unlicensed outlets to handle medicines. It should consult a team of independent medical experts before finalising the list of these products.

 
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