Panic-struck people clear out faintly promising malaria drug
On Sunday, Salman Islam, a resident of the capital's Panthapath area, rushed to the nearest pharmacy to buy malaria drug hydroxychloroquine after seeing on the news that the US President Donald Trump touted it for treatment of Covid-19.
To Islam's surprise, the pharmacist told him that the medicines are not available; these were all considered by a customer a couple of minutes back.
"I searched three other pharmacies and then hear the same phrases: 'sold out'," Islam explained.
The foundation of Trump's claim is a controversial, tiny study of about 40 patients hospitalised with Covid-19 in France.
For the reason that study, hydroxychloroquine was given with the antibiotic azithromycin to the patients and the medication seemed to help very clear the virus from the bodies of 26 sufferers, based on samples extracted from nasal swabs, studies Bloomberg.
Experts have criticised the look of the analysis, calling it interesting but definately not definitive. Top researchers, including White House coronavirus task power member Anthony Fauci, possess called reports that hydroxychloroquine my work anecdotal, and stated they need further study prior to the pill's work with is encouraged.
And yet, that has not stopped panic-stricken persons from snapping up the drug, leaving genuine individuals without supply.
The Daily Star yesterday visited nine pharmacies in the capital's West Rajabazar, Panthapath and Kalabagan areas but do not require experienced hydroxychloroquine. But azithromycin was obtainable in all the drugstores.
Hydroxychloroquine is used to take care of malaria, lupus erythematosus, arthritis rheumatoid and autoimmune disorder.
"Chloroquine drug was not a top-selling item for us. Some persons would get a few tablets before boarding on a bus to Hill Tracts and some for arthritis," explained Md Fariduddin, proprietor of Lopa Pharmacy in the capital's Panthapath.
Chloroquine is a prescription-only medicine, said Abid Hasan, a pharmacist of Kalabagan's Lazz Pharma.
And yet, it really is out of marketplace, not merely in Bangladesh however in neighbouring India as well, which is giving more credence to the drugs in treating Covid-19 which has brought the universe right down to its knees.
The neighbouring country yesterday positioned a ban on its export with immediate effect.
The ban comes two times after Indian Council of Medical Analysis (ICMR) Director Standard Balram Bhargava possessed on Monday recommended the utilization of hydroxychloroquine for treating healthcare workers dealing with suspected or confirmed coronavirus cases and in addition asymptomatic household contacts of the lab-confirmed cases of the pandemic.
The treatment protocol recommended by the ICMR-constituted National Task Push for COVID-19 has been approved by the Medication Controller Basic of India for restricted use in crisis situations.
The Indian government though will allow export of the treatments on humanitarian grounds on case-to-case basis on the ministry of external affairs' recommendation, said the notification from the Directorate Basic of Foreign Trade (DGFT), an arm of the commerce ministry which handles export and import-related things.
Some research suggests antimalarial medication and antibiotics could possibly be beneficial to Covid-19 patients, said Sitesh Chandra Bachar, chairman of the department of pharmacy of Dhaka University.
"But these drugs ought to be just applied for severely ill individuals and only with doctor's consent," he said, while caution that the utilization of hydroxychloroquine for preventive measures could cause severe damage.
Md Mahbubur Rahman, director standard of the Directorate General of Drug Administration (DGDA), echoed the same.
The government though has enough stock of hydroxychloroquine, which it really is supply to healthcare institutions. Plus some choose drugstore will come to be stocked next week.
"But we have prohibited its product sales without the assistance of physicians."
And to ensure smooth supply of drugs to take care of Covid-19 people, the DGDA on March 19 asked the Bangladesh Association of Pharmaceutical Sectors to permit the eligible pharmaceuticals to produce them.
The approval was presented with as per the advice of the Bangladesh World of Medicine and in accordance with the national guide series for Coronavirus treatment, Rahman added.
Beacon Pharmaceuticals is one particular medicine maker that recently got the permission to make hydroxychloroquine, according to its Vice President Md Shariar Tamal Selim.
The necessary active pharmaceutical ingredients have already been collected and Beacon should be able to deliver the medicines by the end of the month, he said.
ACI is definitely building the tablet of chloroquine phosphate in the brand of Avloquin and the business has a potential to create 13 crore pieces a good year found in its two plants.
"It is a very older drug. In fact it is available in the market but it may be that pharmacies are not giving anyone who's asking for the medicine without prescription," explained M Mohibuz Zaman, taking care of director of ACI Healthcare.
This is a prescription drug and you need to not buy or consume without prescription.
There are some predisposing ailments predicated on which doctors may or may prescribe to a specific patient. It will not be self-medicated medicine like paracetamol or supplement.
"We are generating it and there is no issue of increasing the costs now," stated Zaman, adding that ACI can be not exporting the drug so it can meet all domestic demand.
He said the costs of the medication is significantly less than Tk 2 each.
Other than ACI, Incepta, Delta and Zenith Pharmaceuticals get hydroxychloroquine.
Incepta has been offering the drug found in the local market under the brand Reconil going back 18 years, said a good senior official of the company wishing not to be named.
Currently, the company is supplying the drugs to the federal government, hospitals and clinics, both state-run and public.
It, however, has stopped supplying it to hometown drug stores according to a government buy, said the official.
The company in addition has ramped up the production of the drug, said the state, without giving any specific number.
