Medicine stores will not be allowed to sell antibiotics without prescriptions from physicians and if they do so, their licenses will be revoked, Health Minister Zahid Maleque said today.
“The government is going to enact a new law to prevent misuse of antibiotics, and if any drug store sells antibiotics without prescription, its license will be revoked,” he said while talking to reporters at the Secretariat.
Terming misuse of antibiotics a “silent killer”, he said that every year, 15 lakh people around the world die due to excessive consumption of antibiotics and Bangladesh is also seeing a rise in its negative effects.
Taking antibiotics without prescription has created negative impacts on public health, said the minister.
Besides, the presence of antibiotics was also found in fish and meat which is also a matter of grave concern, he added.
He also stressed the need to create public awareness about the excessive use of antibiotics.
Source: United News of Bangladesh