Easy access to non-prescription drugs worrying

Dimapur | January 15: Easy access to drugs without prescription is fast becoming a big health risk in the state. Popping a painkiller or gulping down a bottle of cough syrup is now an instant tendency for many people. What is more worrying is that the drugs sold without prescription, which are easily available in all pharmacies, are addictive in nature. With no specific laws to regulate sale of over-the-counter drugs, the sale of such drugs continues to flourish.
‘OTC Drugs’ in common term means drugs which are legally allowed to be sold Over the Counter without the prescription of a Registered Medical Practitioner. ‘OTC’ preparations have no legal recognition and are better referred to as ‘non-prescription drugs’. The current Drugs and Cosmetic Rules, 1945, only specify prohibition of drugs which must not be given without a valid prescription. Thus, all the drugs which are not specified in the list of prescription drugs must be considered as non-prescription drugs.
The worrying factor, however, is not so much about which drugs fall under ‘OTC’, which can be sold without prescription, because drugs which fall under the ‘prescribed’ category are anyway sold freely. Painkillers, cough syrups, anabolic steroids, virility drugs and many more are sold openly without check.
One Pharmacist said most people are now familiar with the kind of drugs they want to buy. He said people generally buy a few tablets; therefore, the pharmacies do not hesitate to sell them without a prescription. As far as cough syrup is concerned, he said, his shop doesn’t sell it to “young boys”. Although most pharmacists say the trend is disturbing, they argue that they too are qualified to administer pain relievers or any other drugs for minor ailments. In the case of Ayurvedic medicines promising wonder treatments, pharmacists classify them as “OTC” drugs. Not surprisingly, many people also resort to Ayurvedic medicines without proper verification.
Under the Drugs and Cosmetics Act, 1940, and its subordinate legislation Drugs and Cosmetics Rules, 1945, there are three types of licensed premises for the sale of drugs and they are to be displayed on a board with appropriate description. The three categories include pharmacy/pharmacist/dispensing chemist/pharmaceutical chemist, chemists/druggists and drug store. It is at the ‘drug stores’ only that non-prescription drugs or (OTC drugs) are to be made available. Here services of qualified persons are not obligatory and “supply of prescription drugs and compounding is not permitted.”
However, because the public do not have a clear understanding of the acceptable definition of “OTC”, the sale of drugs without prescription continues unrecorded.