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“Need of the hour is to also restrict antibiotic use at a personal level and consume them only when required”
New Delhi, July 12, 2018:
The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has strengthened warnings for the fluoroquinolone class of antibiotics. This comes in the wake of findings indicating that this class of antibiotics can cause mental health problems and serious blood sugar disturbances, including hypoglycemic coma in people with diabetes. The fluoroquinolone class is among the most widely used in India, where hundreds of generic versions of the drugs are available.
The new safety warnings are for all fluoroquinolones, including those taken by mouth or injected. India is the world’s largest consumer of antibiotics, with use more than doubling between 2000 and 2015. Against a global antibiotic increase of 65%, India reported a 103% increase, according to a study at Princeton University published in March this year.
Speaking about this, Padma Shri Awardee, Dr KK Aggarwal, President, HCFI, said, “Antibiotics are only effective against bacterial infections. Several studies have corroborated the adverse impact of antibiotic overuse on health. Misuse and overuse of antibiotics have made once easily treatable bacterial infections harder and often impossible to cure because bacteria evolve rapidly to evade antibiotics, leading to drug resistance. This phenomenon is on the rise not only because of their inappropriate use in human medicine but also due to practices in the agricultural industry.”
Twenty-four potent antibiotics are included in India’s Schedule H1 of the Drugs & Cosmetic Rules that make it mandatory for the medicines to have red-line labelling and for the pharmacist to keep a separate register with the name and address of the prescriber, patient’s name, the name of the drug and the quantity supplied.
Adding further, Dr Aggarwal, who is also the Vice President of CMAAO, said, “Doctors, as well as patients, should be aware of and advocate judicious use of antibiotics. Over-prescription and self-prescription, both, need to be checked.One of the biggest reasons for the misuse of antibiotics is buying them over the counter without consultation with a doctor. Before prescribing antibiotic, always ask yourself: Is it necessary? What is the most effective antibiotic? What is the most affordable antibiotic? What is the most effective dose? What is the most effective duration for which the antibiotic should be administered?”
Some tips from HCFI
- Practice rational use of drugs antibiotics
- Use when needed and according to guidelines
- Avoid broad spectrum antibiotics without appropriate diagnosis
- Prevent infections with the use of vaccination and by improving basic hygiene including hand hygiene and infection control techniques and sanitation in health care settings as well as in the community
- Farmers and food industry must stop using antibiotics routinely to promote growth and prevent disease in healthy animals to prevent the spread of antibiotic resistance.
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