Action if drugs sold sans prescription

The State Government has decided to take stringent action against the chemists and druggists who would sell certain medicines without prescriptions.

According to official sources, district level squads would be formed under the State Drugs Controller to ensure that the chemists and druggists adhere to the guidelines of the Drugs and Cosmetics Act and sell medicines against valid prescriptions only.

In a letter, Health and Family Welfare Secretary Pramod Kumar Meherda has asked the Drugs Controller to issue stern warnings to all chemists and druggists in this regard.

 “Appropriate punitive action may be taken as per prevalent law and rules against the erring pharmacies/medicine stores/chemists and druggists those are engaged in wrong practices of dispensing ‘prescription medicines’ without a valid prescription,” noted Meherda.

He has also instructed to launch an awareness drive across the State to sensitise people about the dangers associated with taking ‘prescription drugs’ without valid prescription.

Notably, the decision was taken after Mumbai-based Indian Pharmaceutical Association (IPA) drew the attention of the Odisha Government about easy availability of medicines without prescription in the State. It mentioned that certain medicines can be detrimental to the health of the persons consuming such medicines.

The State Government had earlier directed the doctors to write prescriptions legibly in bold letter and mandatorily mention the generic name of the prescribed medicines.

Dr Meherda has further asked the Drugs Controller to submit an action taken report (ATR) on the above anomaly by July-end.