Concerns over increase in antibiotic sales in India in Corona period
In India, antibiotics have been used indiscriminately by the people being terrified by the catastrophic Corona wave. Sales of antibiotics have skyrocketed due to misconceptions about preventing Covid infections. The shocking data came from a joint study by Washington University in the United States and McGill University in Canada, according to a national media report from the country.
The study clearly states that from June to September 2020, an additional 21 crore 64 lakh antibiotics were used by adults in India. And in the case of Azithromycin that amount is 3 crore 80 lakh. However, antibiotics only work in bacterial infections not viral infections.
Corona infection peaked in India in June-September 2020. Two US and Canadian universities conducted the study to find out how much antibiotics have been used to prevent corona during this period.
According to the study, sales of antibiotics in India have skyrocketed during that period. In 2020, sales of antibiotics used by adults in India increased by 76.8 percent. In 2016 and 2019, the sale volume was 72.6 and 72.5 percent respectively. That is, an increase of more than 4 percent, which is worrying.
Similarly, Azithromycin sales in adults increased by 5.9 percent in 2020 compared to 2018 (4 percent) and 2019 (4.5 percent). In addition, sales of Doxycycline and Pharopenem antibiotics used to treat respiratory infections have skyrocketed.
Researchers also said that sales of antibiotics in India have skyrocketed in the Corona pandemic, while sales in the United States and other high-income countries have declined. After that, Sumanta Gandra, one of the members of the research team, gave a warning about the use of antibiotics. "Antibiotic resistance is a major challenge in the global medical field," said the infection specialist at Barney-Zhou Hospital in the United States. That is, as a result of the indiscriminate use of antibiotics, infections such as common cuts and pneumonia do not go away easily. As a result, the patient dies.
Incidentally, the study on antibiotics was published in ‘PLOS Medicine’ journal.