DRAP in action against antibiotics’ growing sale without prescription

Islamabad: The Drug Regulatory Authority of Pakistan (DRAP) has taken notice of the increasing sale of antibiotic drugs without a doctor's prescription.

Chief Executive Officer (CEO) DRAP Asim Rauf issued instructions to all provincial health departments and said that the sale of antibiotic drugs without prescription should be stopped immediately across the country.

Asim Rauf said that there should be an immediate change in the laws for the sale of antibiotic drugs, as resistance to antibiotics is increasing among disease-causing bacteria.

CEO DRAP stated that antibiotics are sold with prescriptions around the world, while in Pakistan they are selling like hotcakes. ‘We will also recommend action against doctors who prescribe unnecessary antibiotics’.

Action will also be taken against the pharma companies doing unethical marketing for the sale of drugs. Antibiotic drugs worth 135 billion rupees are sold in Pakistan every year.