India’s Red Line campaign to curb over-the-counter use of antibiotics is finding recognition, and could be adopted on a world scale. India’s idea of putting a red line on antibiotic packages to curb their over-the-counter sale is now being cited as a model that can be used globally to counter the rising threat of superbugs.
India’s Red Line campaign, launched in February this year, began marking prescription-only antibiotics with a red line to curb their irrational use and create awareness on the dangers of taking antibiotics without being prescribed. The report says laws prevent sale of antibiotics and other anti-microbials over-the-counter, but these may be weakly enforced in some countries and non-existent in many. It says 20-30 per cent of antibiotics are consumed without prescription in south and east Europe, and up to 100 per cent in parts of Africa.
The government has backed it up with a communication campaign that says a Red Line medicine should not be taken without prescription.
