Docs welcome ban on combination drugs
Manav Mander
Tribune News Service
Ludhiana, March 22
The move to ban fixed dose combination drugs by government has put those in the habit of buying over the counter medicines at the receiving end while doctors have welcome the decision saying it will check the habit of “self-medication”.
The Health Ministry has banned these drugs citing health reasons. The government decided to prohibit the manufacturing, sale and distribution of fixed drug combinations, saying these drugs have no therapeutic justification and are likely to involve risk to human beings.
Though the ban on fixed dose combination drugs was welcomed by the doctors, the pharmaceutical companies are up in arms against the government order.
Welcoming the government’s move, Dr Avinash Jindal, medical specialist at the Civil Hospital, said it is a good step as people have increasingly been indulging in self-medication. “One should never take medicines without consulting a specialist and banning these drugs will definitely check the practice of buying over the counter drugs,” he said.
Increasing use of antibiotic combinations can also lead to antibiotic resistance. India is of particular concern as the market share of combination drugs versus single drugs is bigger here than anywhere else in the world.
“Fixed drug combinations have mushroomed in the market as companies in their quest for new products and often to beat price control mix and match ingredients into a single molecule to market them as new remedies,” said another city-based medical specialist, Dr Narinder Bagga.
Surjeet Kaur, a city resident, said she was surprised at the move and said these drugs were an easy option whenever anybody suffered from cough and cold in the house. “I fail to understand why the government is banning these drugs and if they are harmful for our body, then why were they not banned earlier as we have been consuming these for the past many years,” she questioned.
Meanwhile, the government ban on over 344 drugs has been put on hold till the court hearing next Monday. Popular drugs D’Cold, Vicks Action 500 Extra, Corex and Benadryl are among the 6,000-odd brands that have been impacted by the government’s move to ban 344 fixed dose combination drugs. Many pharma companies had moved court against the government order.
