No aspirin, ibuprofen sale without prescription in Delhi

The Delhi government on Tuesday ordered a ban on the sale of all blood-thinning medicines like aspirin and ibuprofen without prescription in the national capital. Doctors welcomed the decision, saying such drugs could cause harm to dengue patients.

"Today (Tuesday) the government decided to ban the sale of all blood-thinning medicines like aspirin, ibuprofen without prescription. The ban will be effective from today (Tuesday) itself," Health Minister Satyendra Jain said.

He said the decision was taken to control the use of such pills in the wake of rising dengue cases in the capital.

"It has been observed that people consume medicines without consulting doctors, thereby increasing the chances of bleeding and destruction of platelets in human blood which many a times turn fatal in dengue cases," he said.

"Therefore, we advise chemists to sell these pills only against prescription by registered medical practitioners."

The minister also advised chemists to keep records of stocks of drugs from the aspirin, ibuprofen and diclofenac groups.

"Stern action will be taken against those found violating the order," Jain added.

The government also issued an advisory to chemists and the public to prevent such sale.

Doctors in the capital welcomed the decision.

"Pain relieving drugs like aspirin, ibuprofen and diclofenac are over-the-counter drugs not only in India but also in the US and Britain. This is good step by the government because these medicines can cause problems to dengue patients leading to bleeding and drop in platelet count," said Rommel Tickoo, a senior consultant for internal medicine at Max Hospital.

"Among the few drugs for which prescription is not required are pain-relieving drugs, anti-allergics, certain cough syrups and supplements like vitamins and calcium," he said.

S.K Sharma, head of the department of medicine at Lady Hardinge Medical College, said that for dengue, only paracetamol was safe.

"We don't prescribe combiflam for dengue. But, there are people who buy medicines like aspirin and ibuprofen without consulting doctors, which is not safe for dengue patients. This advisory by the government should be followed by chemists," he said.