FDA: Report drugstores selling antibiotics without prescription

MANILA, Philippines - Worried about the rising incidence of antimicrobial resistance (AMR), the Food and Drugs Administration (FDA) called on the public yesterday to report drugstores that dispense antibiotics without the correct prescription.

In an advisory, FDA director Dr. Kenneth Hartigan-Go also asked the public to call landline numbers (02)807-8275 and (02)842-5606 to report such drugstores as well as pharmacies that sell counterfeit drugs.

“The dispensing of antibiotics and other ethical drugs is the responsibility of a registered pharmacist under the employ of the drugstore. The selling or dispensing of antibiotics or other ethical drugs without the required prescription issued by a licensed physician in strictly prohibited,” he said.

The FDA chief said multi-drug resistant tuberculosis, pneumonia, HIV/AIDS, methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus infections and influenza have “emerged as priority public concerns.”

Go warned that self-medication, which involves buying an antibiotic without a doctor’s prescription, and failing to complete the prescribed course of medication “allow the bacteria to generate a stronger ‘self’ that can resist or fight off the drug’s effect. Other causes of resistance are substandard medicines, irrational prescriptions and poor infection prevention and control.”

The FDA has advised patients to complete their prescribed course of treatment or take the complete dose of medicines to prevent AMR.