CHENNAI: Surprise inspections by the Tamil Nadu Drugs Control Department have found that 85 pharmacies in the state have been selling antibiotics without medical prescriptions.
To prevent self-medication, the government had directed all retail pharmacy outlets not to sell azithromycin, doxycycline or other antibiotics without prescription.
“The government is trying hard to screen as many fever cases as possible.
But some people to avoid tests started demanding antibiotics along with paracetamol tablets from pharmacies,” said a senior drug control department official.
So, raids were conducted by drug inspectors and 85 outlets were found selling scheduled antibiotics without prescription.
Show-cause notices will be served and legal action will be initiated against them based on their replies for violating Section 65 of the Drugs and Cosmetics Act,1945, he added.
The department on an average lifts around10,000 drug samples and books at least 500 cases every year against any sort of violation.
On convicton, the offenders can be fined up to ₹50,000.
K K Selvam, president of Tamil Nadu Chemists and Druggists Association (TNCDA) said that even before the pandemics prescriptions were mandatory for antibiotics sale but some pharmacies in rural areas tend to give them to known persons, who come to them in distress or pain, by mistake.
D Hariharan, who runs a retail medical shop in Chennai, said that in a few instances, customers tried to cheat them by presenting old prescriptions and lying that the doctor has advised them to continue the drug until recovery.
As the lockdown was in place, employees in the store trust the customer’s word about their inability to meet their physician again and give the medicines which they demand.
But eventually, they get pulled up, he said.
Selvam from TNCDA said, “It is a welcome thing that the drug control department and local administration are getting details of those buying these tablets and tracking them to prevent the spread.
But authorities should also ensure people don’t buy paracetamol etc from provision stores or petty shops, which attribute to roughly 10% illegal sale of paracetamol”.