Drug controller brings in new rules to curb antibiotics abuse

 The drug controller general of India (DCGI) yesterday introduced new rules aimed at regulating the sale of antibiotics. Under the revised rules, patients will need two copies of a prescription, of which one which will be lodged with the chemist who sells the medication.

An IBNLive report quoted Surinder Singh, Drug Controller General of India as saying, "Doctors prescribing powerful antibiotics for common ailments will know that they can be pulled up because a copy of the prescription will be given to the chemist who will have to keep it for a year to be used for audits."

The DCGI decision comes in the wake of the scare caused by the Superbug after the New Delhi metallo-beta-lactamase 1 (NDM1) was found be resistant to the most powerful antibiotics and is aimed to address the drug abuse problem.

Antibiotics are substances that kill or inhibit growth of harmful-disease-causing bacteria. In the UK antibiotics can only be prescribed to patients after a conducting a panel of antibody screening tests based on the sensitivity and resistance profile, which differs for every individual.

An over-or-wrong use can cause lasting drug-resistance in patients, which in turn can make them more susceptible to infections.

Antibiotics can also cause numerous side effects including anaphylactic reaction in allergic conditions, shock or even death. Less severe side effects include nausea and diarrhoea, abdominal pain. Other known serious side effects include, liver toxicity, brain and kidney damage or even pseudomembranous colitis. Judicious and controlled use of antibiotics on the advice of competent medical professionals is therefore of prime importance which the DGCI directive is meant to address.