64 percent of antibiotics being sold in India haven't been regulated:
UK study
According to a study conducted in
the UK, millions of antibiotics currently being sold in Indian markets haven't
been approved by the regulator. 64 percent antibiotic medicines that can be
found at pharmacies around the country haven't been regulated, the study said.
Despite pledging to tackle the
rising problem of antibiotic resistance, multinational companies continued to
manufacture many unapproved formulations, it was found.
Antibiotic resistance is slowly
gaining momentum as a global crisis. It occurs when bacteria change in a way
that reduces the effectiveness of drugs, chemicals, or other agents designed to
cure or prevent infections. As it becomes increasingly prevalent, it also
threatens to undermine healthcare systems across the globe.
These findings, therefore, underline
grave obstacles to bring antimicrobial resistance under control in India – a
country which has one of the highest antibiotic consumption rates and sales in
the world. Parliamentary investigations into failures of the country's drug
regulatory system have also been previously carried out.
For the study published in the
British Journal of Clinical Pharmacology, researchers analyzed figures for
fixed dose combination (FDC) antibiotics (formulations composed of two or more
drugs in a single pill) and single drug formulation (SDF) antibiotics (composed
of a single drug) on the market in India.
Despite the sale of unapproved new
medicines being illegal in India, it was found that of 118 different
formulations of FDCs being sold in the country between 2007 and 2012, 64
percent (75) were not approved by the national drugs regulator, the Central
Drugs Standard Control Organisation (CDSCO). Only five of the formulations were
approved in the UK or US.
07.02.2018
Change yourself
– you are in control
Mahatma Gandhi
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