Azithromycin Most Misused Drug In India: Study

New Delhi: India’s obsession with popping pills and tendency to sell and purchase over-the-counter medicines has been validated in a recent study. The study highlights the excessive use of antibiotics like azithromycin by Indians during and before the COVID-19 pandemic.

The research, published in Lancet Regional Health-Southeast Asia on September 1, said that most of these drugs were not approved by the central drug regulator and called for “significant policy and regulatory reform”. It said that the study is important because inappropriate use of antibiotics is a significant driver of antibiotic resistance in India.

The study also said that overlap in regulatory powers between national and state-level agencies complicates antibiotics availability, sales, and consumption in the country, NDTV reported.

“Although the per-capita private-sector consumption rate of antibiotics in India is relatively low compared to many countries, India consumes a large volume of broad-spectrum antibiotics that should ideally be used sparingly,” the study said.

The study also said that there were 1,098 unique formulations and 10,100 unique products (brands) of antibiotics in India.