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The Indian Pharmaceutical Association (IPA), the national professional body of pharmacists engaged in various segments of the pharmacy profession, has urged the Union health ministry to take steps to ensure presence of registered pharmacists at all retail pharmacy outlets in the country and that prescription medicines are not sold without proper and valid prescription.
The Association, in its letters to Union health secretary Punya Salila Srivastava and Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI) Dr Rajeev Singh Raghuvanshi, drew attention to certain practices prevailing, such as running retail pharmacies in the absence of the services of a registered pharmacist, and selling prescription drugs without a proper and valid prescription.
As per the Rule 65 of the Drugs and Cosmetics Rules, drugs should be dispensed under the active supervision of a registered pharmacist in a retail medicines outlet. Section 42 (a) of the Pharmacy Act also mandates that the physical presence of a registered pharmacist is mandatory to dispense any prescription medicine.
"However, unfortunately throughout our country, medicines are being sold/dispensed from retail pharmacies/medical stores without the presence and supervision of a registered pharmacist and prescription medicines are being sold without a valid prescription," said Dr Subhash C Mandal, national general secretary, IPA in the letter.
Globally, published evidence corroborates the serious repercussions of improper use of medicines on public health due to Adverse Drug Reactions (ADRs) and medication errors. These events result in long-term hospitalization, increased healthcare expenditure, and even death. Such a situation negatively impacts societal health and a national economy. Unfortunately, this is the situation in lndia, he said.
Poor enforcement of drug laws is one of the major reasons for this problem.
This makes it easy for the public to get almost all prescription medicines without a prescription in most pharmacies/medical stores in the country. This has resulted in rampant misuse, abuse, or improper use of medicines.
"Presently there is no dearth of trained and registered pharmacists in our country. We have a sufficient number of pharmacists and around 3 lakh pharmacists are passing out every year from the 4,500 pharmacy colleges in India. This is more than sufficient to meet the country's pharmacy practice needs," added Mandal.
Considering the serious nature of the problem, the Association requested the health secretary and DCGI to ensure that pharmacists are physically present in the retail pharmacies or medical stores, and that medicines are sold or dispensed under their direct supervision. It also requested the government to ensure that no prescription medicine is sold or dispensed from the retail medicines shop without a proper and valid prescription.
It also said that it would extend the Association's help and cooperation whenever required in the strict implementation of the Drugs & Cosmetics Act, and Rules, as well as the Pharmacy Act.
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