Pharmacies selling antibiotics over the counter, counterfeit drugs will be shut down – Govt warns

The Health Ministry has warned that pharmacies and other medical outlets that sell antibiotics without prescriptions as well as counterfeit drugs would soon be shut down.
The warning was sounded by Health Minister, Dr Frank Anthony, who has said that the Government will be embarking on stronger measures aimed at ensuring that the local pharmaceutical industry operates in line with international standards.
It was also noted that the move is part of efforts to eliminate the illegal importation and distribution of harmful medication in Guyana, especially those that has the potential to increase antimicrobial resistance in patients who should be taking prescribed drugs for various health issues.
Dr Anthony issued the warning during an event to commemorate Commonwealth Pharmacy Week on Sunday.

He told the gathering that oftentimes, products are imported and used in Guyana without being examined for indicators of adverse effects, and in recent years, several doctors were found guilty of contributing to antimicrobial resistance by not prescribing the mandated drugs for treating tuberculosis, among others.
However, he explained that due to the Health Ministry’s prompt response and ability to import medicines to reverse the symptoms those patients were privy to, the individuals sustained no long-term injuries.
“As we move to put stricter supervision in place, if you don’t change this type of behaviour then we might have to close you down and use the full force of the law…We have had cases in this country where we have seen patients who have developed resistance to many of the medications that we have and if we are going to continue this indiscriminate use of antibiotics, we are only going to accelerate the development of antimicrobial resistance,” Dr Anthony disclosed.
Dr Anthony added that, any act of soliciting unprescribed antibiotics and generic/counterfeit drugs are not only a clear violation of existing legislation but also dangerous to the lives of patients.
On this point, he noted that while preventing counterfeit drugs from entering Guyana is difficult, the new Medicine Regulation Bill would tighten loose ends in the healthcare system.
“We also want to take a firmer stand on the falsification of medications, one of the challenges if you have counterfeit medication in the system, it can create problems in the management of patients and so this is something that we want to ensure that we are removing from our system or reducing it substantially,” he added.
The Medicine Regulation Bill is one of the first pieces of framework needed to raise the standard of the country’s Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
With the implementation of this new bill, importers of these drugs will be mandated to conduct separate monitoring for adverse reactions and report the necessary information to the Ministry.
The pertinent piece of legislation will also cater for the prosecution of pharmacies and doctors who issue antibiotics without the necessary prescription. (G1)