Details: The province decided to stop overusing antibiotics during a meeting chaired by Punjab Health Minister Khawaja Imran Nazir.
At the Drug Quality Control Board meeting, it was decided to outlaw the province-wide selling of antibiotics without a prescription.
At the meeting, it was resolved that the Drug Control Wing, the Healthcare Commission, and DRAP would submit their suggestions within seven days, and that the Punjab Healthcare Commission would confer with the Drug Regulatory Authority on the matter.
The total amount of antibiotics consumed in Lahore increased by an anticipated 66% in 2021 compared to 2019.
The NIH reports that between 2019 and 2021, there was a 78% increase in oral and a 35% increase in intravenous antibiotic usage. The usage of macrolides, cephalosporins, penicillin, and quinolones increased significantly over time, according to cumulative consumption data. Throughout the course of the study, the two quinolone antibiotics that were most frequently used in Region 4 were ciprofloxacin and moxifloxacin.
Pakistan ranks third among low- to middle-income countries in terms of antibiotic use, per a National Institute of Health (NIH) study. An estimated 50% of these antibiotic prescriptions are administered improperly [15–17]. Antimicrobial usage and social awareness are two factors that impact the emergence of antimicrobial resistance in Pakistan.
