Life-saving medicines in pharmacies cannot be stored at the recommended temperature during the summer heat wave. These include essential medical supplies like antibiotics, insulin, vaccines, ointments, gels, food supplements, diagnosis kits, blood products, and reagents. Two-thirds of drug stores in the country do not have air conditioning, reducing the quality of drugs.
It was known that the number of registered pharmacies across the country is 2 lakh 32 thousand 535. Beyond this, there are almost an equal number of pharmacies. Anonymous drug stores do not have any air conditioning. However, the pharmacy owners claimed that the quality of medicine is fine in summer.
The Meteorological Department said last Friday that the heatwave is blowing for 23 consecutive days in April. As the day goes on, the heat wave's intensity exceeds the previous day's level. Bangladesh has never seen such a long heatwave before. In this situation, the country's last 76-year record of heatwave has been broken, which is the longest period in April, according to the Meteorological Office.
Meanwhile, after a media visit to model pharmacies in several areas of the capital, it was found that they do not have the signs of models. In many pharmacies, AC has never been installed, let alone the all-time maintenance of the air conditioning system.
Storage of emergency medicine in a sub-freezer was also kept at normal temperature. Similarly, apart from the medicine storeroom of the government hospital in the district and upazila, the pharmacies that have developed everywhere like the umbrella of a frog are not obeying the rules for storing medicines. There is supposed to be a licensed pharmacist per the category but it is not accepted.
Pharmaceutical technologists say that about 90 percent of medicines have instructions on their packaging that they should be stored at 20 to 30 degrees Celsius. But the temperature of about 43 degrees Celsius is flowing over the country. Sensitive drug products lose their effectiveness with the slightest temperature change. Patients are suffering due to the decrease in the quality of medicines. Although the government has launched model pharmacies across the country to maintain the effectiveness of drugs, there is no monitoring by the Directorate of Drug Administration. Model pharmacies have lost their effectiveness due to non-compliance.
According to World Health Organization (WHO) guidelines, medicines should be stored and transported between 15-30 degrees Celsius. Medicines requiring sub-freezing temperatures should be stored at minus 4-2 degrees Celsius. The National Drug Policy in the country also mandates air conditioning and refrigeration in drug stores. There is no provision to register drug shops without air conditioning. But in reality, this rule is not being followed.
Those concerned said that before any drug is brought to the market, a stability test (stability study) is done by keeping the temperature up to 40 degrees and 75 percent humidity. Through this test, the stability of the drug at this temperature is seen, and then the expiration date is fixed.
Professor Dr. Firoz Ahmed, Dean of the Faculty of Pharmacy of Dhaka University, said in an interview, that medicine packaging is written for storage in a cool environment, light and air, and at the right temperature. It is not followed 100 percent anywhere starting from the hospital. The drug trade is also going on in Tinshed House as a pharmacy. In this case, the Department of Drug Administration, Pharmacy Council, Drug Owners Association, Chemist and Druggist Association should come forward to preserve and control drugs at the field level.
Md Salahuddin, director of the Department of Medicines Administration, said that due to the increase in temperature across the country, guidelines have been given to control the quality of medicines in pharmacies. Recently, a letter from the Department of Drug Administration has asked them to be aware of proper quality control.
Ashraf Hossain, deputy director (spokesperson) of the Department of Drug Administration, said that a letter has been given to the pharmacy owners advising them about the storage of drugs. We constantly monitor the market to control the quality of medicines. We haven't had any serious problems yet. However, in the current situation, it must be preserved with caution.
ZH
