The Jordan Food and Drug Administration announced new, anticipated decisions to regulate the dispensing of antibiotics in the Kingdom, as part of efforts to address the growing phenomenon of the irrational use of these drugs.
The Director General of the Food and Drug Administration in Jordan, Rana Obeidat, stressed that the dispensing of antibiotics should not be based on a "formal prescription," but rather on an accurate diagnosis based on laboratory testing and culture that proves the bacteria's response to the specific antibiotic. She noted that the institution is working on issuing a circular that requires attaching a laboratory report to the medical prescription before dispensing any antibiotic.
She explained that the institution activated a decision stipulating that antibiotics should only be dispensed with a medical prescription, but stressed that the next phase will witness stricter measures to ensure safe and responsible use, and to reduce the randomness that leads to the deterioration of antibiotic resistance.
During her interview with Al-Mamlaka TV, Obaidat warned of the dangers of excessive and uncontrolled use of antibiotics, considering it a real health threat, given the increasing number of cases that do not respond to treatment in some health institutions as a result of excessive consumption.
She noted that antimicrobial resistance (AMR) has become a global alarm, and that international studies predict its health effects will surpass those of other diseases if misuse continues, pointing out that the World Health Organization is monitoring this issue as part of its efforts to address future health risks.
Obaidat stressed that addressing the problem is not limited to pharmacies, which she described as the "weakest link," but requires an integrated partnership between regulatory bodies, the health sector, and citizens, in addition to changing the culture of quickly resorting to antibiotics for every health symptom, especially among children.
