The Centre has decided to allow the sale of Tamiflu in the open market under strict conditions. The formal notification will be issued on Tuesday, giving 480 outlets across the country licenced to sell Schedule X drugs the permission to retail the drug over the counter, but only if prescribed by a doctor.
Typically, psychotropic drugs are sold as Schedule-X medicines. So far, 189 people have died of swine flu in the country and 6,359 confirmed cases have been reported. Six deaths and 220 cases were reported on Monday.
Since Tamiflu is the only potent drug against swine flu, the government had not allowed its sale in the open market fearing that misuse may make H1N1 virus resistant to it. But this was causing bottlenecks as patients being treated at private hospitals had to procure the drug from government hospitals. So, the government decided to allow over-the-counter sale of Tamiflu under strict conditions.
Union health minister Ghulam Nabi Azad, during a meeting with state health ministers last month, had asked them to identify outlets that can be roped in for the distribution of Tamiflu.
But Tamiflu will still be available to patients under strict conditions. Private nursing homes and selected outlets would have to maintain a record of who the drug has been prescribed to. This log book will be periodically examined by health officials.
The government will also issue advisories regarding the side effects of Tamiflu, which can cause certain behavioural problems. The decision was taken after state governments raised concern about side effects of Tamiflu among youngsters, particularly children.
