Ronan Kelly
Retired 2020
Government to allow retail sale of Tamiflu
Aarti Dhar
Official notification is expected by Tuesday
NEW DELHI: The government on Monday decided to allow the retail sale of Oseltamivir or Tamiflu, which is used for treating A (H1N1) virus.
The decision was taken at a meeting chaired by Union Health and Family Welfare Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad and an official notification is expected by Tuesday.
Classified as Schedule X drug, it will be available under the category in which drugs having narcotic substances are sold.
While selling the drug, pharmacists have to keep a record of the prescriptions, names of the doctors prescribing it and the persons to whom it is sold.
Select pharmacists can procure the drug from Ranbaxy, Cipla, Metco, Hetero, Strides and Roche that have the permission to manufacture it after the notification is issued. Pharmacists need a special licence to procure and sell the drug.
At present the medicine is available free of cost at the government-identified health facilities where swine flu patients are treated. However, with the government allowing select private hospitals to treat swine flu patients and private laboratories allowed to carry out swine flu tests, the decision to allow retail sale of Tamiflu was expected.
Mr. Azad had asked the States to identify the private hospitals that could be allowed to sell Tamiflu. Delhi has 30 such hospitals and pharmacists who can sell Schedule X drugs.
Swine flu has so far claimed 189 lives in the country
http://www.hindu.com/2009/09/15/stories/2009091553641300.htm
Aarti Dhar
Official notification is expected by Tuesday
NEW DELHI: The government on Monday decided to allow the retail sale of Oseltamivir or Tamiflu, which is used for treating A (H1N1) virus.
The decision was taken at a meeting chaired by Union Health and Family Welfare Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad and an official notification is expected by Tuesday.
Classified as Schedule X drug, it will be available under the category in which drugs having narcotic substances are sold.
While selling the drug, pharmacists have to keep a record of the prescriptions, names of the doctors prescribing it and the persons to whom it is sold.
Select pharmacists can procure the drug from Ranbaxy, Cipla, Metco, Hetero, Strides and Roche that have the permission to manufacture it after the notification is issued. Pharmacists need a special licence to procure and sell the drug.
At present the medicine is available free of cost at the government-identified health facilities where swine flu patients are treated. However, with the government allowing select private hospitals to treat swine flu patients and private laboratories allowed to carry out swine flu tests, the decision to allow retail sale of Tamiflu was expected.
Mr. Azad had asked the States to identify the private hospitals that could be allowed to sell Tamiflu. Delhi has 30 such hospitals and pharmacists who can sell Schedule X drugs.
Swine flu has so far claimed 189 lives in the country
http://www.hindu.com/2009/09/15/stories/2009091553641300.htm