The central government has taken a big step to stop the misuse of medicines. The government has banned the open sale of medicines containing more than 12 percent alcohol. Under the new rules, such medicines available in bottles larger than 30 ml will no longer be able to be bought or sold without a valid prescription from a doctor. In this regard, the Central Government has amended the Drugs Rules, 1945. The objective of the government is to prevent misuse of alcohol containing medicines and to make the medicine distribution system more transparent and safe.
Rules changed for medical stores also
Under the new rules, the responsibility of medical stores and medicine sellers has also been increased. Now they will have to enter the complete record of sale of these medicines in a separate register. In this, information like name of the medicine, quantity, details of the buyer, doctor’s prescription information and date of sale will have to be kept safe. The government believes that with this, complete traceability of any medicine can be easily done if needed.
What will be the effect on common patients?
After this decision, patients who need such medicines for medical reasons will get the medicines only after showing the doctor’s prescription. This will not cause any problem to genuine patients in getting the medicine, but will prevent the purchase of these medicines without medical advice. According to experts, this step will help in preventing cases where alcohol-containing medicines are misused as an addiction.
Drug regulatory system will be stronger
The government says that this decision will further strengthen India’s drug regulatory system. By increasing the traceability of medicines, it will be easier to find out which medicine was sold from which medical store, to which person and on which doctor’s prescription. This will not only improve the monitoring of medicines, but if needed, the investigating agencies will also be able to easily trace the supply chain of the medicine.
Public health will benefit
Health experts believe that uncontrolled sale of alcohol-containing medicines sometimes leads to addiction and serious health problems. In such a situation, this decision of the government is being considered important from the point of view of public health. The new rules will curb misuse of medicines, increase the safety of patients and make the medicine distribution system more accountable. Besides, monitoring of medical stores will also be more effective than before.