Massive rise in sales of fixed-dose antibiotics

There has been a 38 percent increase in the sale of fixed-dose combinations (FDC) of antibiotic drugs in recent times in India. This is one of the major reasons for the development of antimicrobial resistance in pathogens. When a fixed-dose combination of drugs is prescribed, the body usually requires only one of the two drugs in the combination. The needless consumption of the other drug tends to lead to the development of resistance.

The increase in the sale of antibiotics has been observed in a meta-analysis carried out by researchers at the Queen Mary University of London and the Newcastle University. They have found that drug formulations that have not been approved by the Drug Controller General but are in the midst of legal disputes are continued.

A senior employee of a pharmaceutical company says, “FDCs are prepared without the approval of local authorities. FDC’s are meant to be used only for diseases such as diabetes, chronic kidney disease, liver disease and heart disease. But it has been found that combinations of drugs are also prescribed for fevers, headaches, colds and coughs, which is not required. The government has already disallowed the prescription of 344 irrational and harmful combinations, which amount to a total of 5,000 different medicines. But this move is not enough to control the menace.”

A senior drug control officer said that there was a need for a strict action to prevent the sale of such drugs and their combinations. “Corrective steps should cover the prescription of unwanted drugs and the sale of these drugs by pharmacists. The actions that are currently being implemented are timebound and temporary in nature,” he said.