India Plans to Frame Prescription Guidelines to Promote Rational Use of Drugs

The proposed prescription guidelines will be made applicable not only in the government centres that are extending treatment for HIV and TB, but also for the private health facilities and providers.

The Health Ministry of India is planning to frame treatment guidelines to further promote the rational use of drugs particularly in key therapeutic areas.

The proposed prescription guidelines will be made applicable not only in the government centres that are extending treatment for HIV and TB, but also for the private health facilities and providers. The Ministry has taken inputs from some leading experts in this regard. However, details will be worked out only in consonance with all the stakeholders, sources said.

An expert panel of the Planning Commission has already suggested several steps to promote rational use of medicines. One of the key recommendations is to introduce a system to make compulsory the use of generic names or the international non-proprietary name (INN