Muna Al-Fuzai

Muna Al-Fuzai



Medicines usually
go through multiple processes until they reach patients. The most important of
these methods is their official approval by competent authorities for their
use. The medicines usually get marketed in some countries or all over the
world, and sometimes patients suffer some side effects and risks with their
use, so withdrawing them is required until alternatives are found to protect
people's health.

Assistant
undersecretary for drug and food control affairs at the health ministry Dr
Abdullah Al-Bader announced that the department has suspended and withdrawn
some ranitidine medications, including the innovative formulation Zantac, for
the treatment of acidity and reflux, as a precautionary measure, based on the preliminary
results of analyses that were carried out in the laboratories of the department
of registration and control. The US Food and Drug Administration and the
European Commission on Medicines have said some of these medicines are likely
to be carcinogenic.

"The
international health authorities are currently studying and determining the
permitted safe proportions of NDMA in food products and pharmaceuticals,"
Bader said, adding that until the completion of these investigations,
ranitidine medications are being withdrawn in order to ensure the health and
safety of patients. Patients were advised to consult their doctors for the use
of available alternatives and to report any side effects of pharmaceuticals
through the drug side effects reporting form on the health ministry website.

I think the MoH
did well by suspending the use of the drug, and I hope that patients who take
medications continuously, especially people with diabetes and blood pressure,
should follow medical updates because the price is their life. The ministry
must inform people of developments that may appear.

I think people's
awareness of the side effects of any medicine is important, especially since
sometimes some people buy drugs that may be unlicensed through social media.
This I believe is very dangerous. So I was very pleased to read that ministry
of health recently signed a memorandum of understanding with the GS1 Foundation
to start activating the system of accurate tracking of medicines and medical
supplies by barcode. This system tracks medicines and medical supplies
accurately from the manufacturer through the stores and pharmacies until they
reach the patient, according to a ministry statement.

I sometimes see
some private pharmacies exaggerate the offers of their products, whether
cosmetic or medical, to encourage people to buy. The ministry of health should
not allow non-pharmacists to display medicines and products and sell them to
the public due to the seriousness of the matter. I hope MoH distributes
leaflets to patients at government hospitals and clinics with medical updates
and latest news people need to learn about.

It is natural
that the withdrawal of any medication, especially for those who use it for long
periods of time, is worrying, but these patients should consult with their
specialist doctors for other safe alternatives. I think the issue of
withdrawing unsafe medicines requires public awareness and careful follow-up by
the ministry of health.

By Muna Al-Fuzai

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