Authorities scrap plans to ban ads for throat lozenges

The government has approved an action plan for 2019-2024 for the "Strategy for preventing the spread of antimicrobial resistance". RBC has a copy of the signed order. Its authenticity was confirmed by an interlocutor in the government apparatus. The plan and strategy define the government policy to prevent and limit the spread of antimicrobial resistance in microorganisms.

Now the Ministry of Health must develop a plan to implement the strategy from 2024 to 2030. The strategy itself was adopted in the fall of 2017. It was developed by order of the President of December 31, 2015.

The approved plan to implement the strategy is not as radical as his draft, which proposed to ban advertising of lollipops for sore throats. As a result, it was decided to abandon this initiative. RBC asked the Ministry of Health to clarify why such a decision was made.

Much attention in the document is given to improving the skills of specialists in the rational use of antibiotics, informing the public about the need for immunoprophylaxis and the problems of antimicrobial resistance, as well as control over the prescription of antimicrobials. These drugs, however, and now for the most part must be dispensed by prescription, but not all pharmacies adhere to this rule.