New laws will get tough on pharmacists who illegally sell antibiotics in UAE

The National -- A new crackdown on pharmacists who dispense antibiotics and other drugs without prescriptions has been welcomed by doctors.

The Ministry of Health and Prevention is promising new laws to stop unauthorised sales of antibiotics, amid growing fears that their overuse worldwide will create drug-resistant bacteria for which there is no treatment.

As well as creating a new law, the ministry said it will work with local health authorities to more closely supervise and inspect pharmacies across the UAE.

There is particular concern about the estimated 2,400 private pharmacies which operate outside hospital networks, and where unauthorized dispensing of prescription drugs is most prevalent.

The ministry will also seek to make doctors more aware of the need to prescribe antibiotics only when they needed, and to make sure they give accurate doses and the correct strength.

Over the counter a sale of antibiotics and other prescription drugs has long been recognized as a problem in the UAE, even though it is in theory prohibited. Amoxicillin, a general antibiotic used for a wide range of bacterial infections, has been particularly easy to obtain.

A 2014 report from researchers at the Department of Epidemiology at Abu Dhabi University, described the problem as “endemic.”

The survey carried out by the department found 96 per cent of respondents had been able to buy drugs without a prescription, even though half understood that they were breaking the law. None said they had been warned by pharmacists that what they were doing could be dangerous to their health.

“It has become acceptable to both pharmacies and their customers to indulge in the practice with impunity, and with no due regard for the law and basic ethics,” the report concluded.

Dr Amin Al Amiri, Assistant Undersecretary for Public Health Policy and Licensing at the Department, said that evidence globally showed that between 50 and 80 per cent of germs were showing signs of drug resistance.

The result was an extra 700,000 deaths each year, Dr Al Amiri said. The Ministry he added, was keen to raise awareness among the general population of over prescription of antibiotics, especially to children.