Under the Drugs and Cosmetics Rules, the description “chemists
and druggists” is displayed by licencees who employ registered pharmacists but
do not have a pharmacy for compounding – preparing personalised medication for
patients -- against prescriptions.x
The Drug and Technical
Advisory Board (DTAB) has approved changing the Drugs and Cosmetics Rules to
bring uniformity to medical store signboards.(HT Photo/Representative Image )
The words “chemists
and druggists” appearing on the signboards of medical shops will soon have to
be replaced with the word “pharmacy” following an order by the government’s top
advisory body on drugs.
Dr S Eswara Reddy,
drugs controller general of India, said, “Stores are using different
nomenclatures and there was a need to bring in uniformity. Globally, the word
pharmacy is used and widely accepted, so we decided to do the same.”
The Drug and Technical
Advisory Board (DTAB) has approved changing the Drugs and Cosmetics Rules to
bring uniformity to medical store signboards. According to the minutes of the
DTAB meeting where the proposal was discussed, “the term ‘chemists and
druggists’ was coined in 1945 and is quite old and has lost relevance and also,
at present, the word ‘drug’ is looked upon as more clandestine and as addiction
for chemicals, hence, not suitable to refer a professional pharmacist.”
Under the Drugs and
Cosmetics Rules, the description “chemists and druggists” is displayed by
licencees who employ registered pharmacists but do not have a pharmacy for
compounding – preparing personalised medication for patients -- against
prescriptions. The terms “pharmacy”, “pharmacist”, “dispensing chemist” or
“pharmaceutical chemist” can be used only by licencees who employ the services
of a registered pharmacist and run a pharmacy for compounding against
prescription.
Registered pharmacists
no longer practise compounding of medicines because the pharmaceutical industry
sells formulations in different dosages and potencies. “There was need for this
[renaming] as the concept of druggists is outdated. Earlier, there were not so
many formulations available, so druggists themselves used to prepare medicines
with relevant dosage etc, but now the pharmaceutical companies are doing the
job. Everywhere pharmacy is used; so should we,” Sandeep Nangia, president,
Retailers and Distributors Chemist Association in Delhi.
The matter was
discussed in the 55th Drugs Consultative Committee meeting held in January this
year, which recommended the renaming. The proposal was then placed before the
82nd DTAB meeting held on April 2, and the board agreed to amend the rules.
“We will have to
update our database and add the changed names of stores that are registered
with us. The final notification will provide a time frame to apply for name
change with our licencing division,” said Dr Reddy, drugs controller general of
India.
After the Union
ministry of health and family welfare formally notifies the amendments,
chemists will be given a time frame to make the necessary changes.
