Over 100 pharmacies risk fines for not observing drug issuing rules

More than 100 drugstores of the over 500 inspected are liable to fines of 400 to 600 lei for not obeying the rules for issuing medications. The inspections were carried out as part of the monthly action “Promoting the Rational Use of Drugs” between May 11 and June 11, Info-Prim Neo reports. Minister of Health Larisa Catrinici told a news conference on July 16 that among the most often violations are the issuing of drugs without prescription, the lack of doctor’s signature on the prescription, the keeping of drugs in unfavorable conditions. “The drugs should be inoffensive, of a high quality and taken as prescribed by the doctor,” said Larisa Catrinici. The action was aimed at reducing the use of medicines and at reducing the number of suicides by taking drugs. The emergency services reported 116 cases of intoxication with drugs during the first half of this year, the Minister of Health said. First deputy director of the Medication Agency Vladimir Safta said that the inspections aroused the dissatisfaction of pharmacists, doctors and even patients. “The pharmacists were dissatisfied that their sales dropped as they had to release most of the drugs on prescription. The doctors were discontented that they are forced to write prescriptions. The patients said it is not convention for them to buy medicines only by prescription,“ Safta said. According to Vladimir Safta, the prices of drugs have continuously increased during the last few years. The rise in the first quarter of this year was 5.08%. “The monitoring of the use of drugs goes on. We consider that the legislation should be modified so that the period of validity of the prescriptios is extended,” he said. A number of 6,000 names of drugs are recorded in Moldova. 2,000 out of them are issued without prescription.