Himal Press 
KATHMANDU: Participants at a workshop organized by the Department of Drug Administration have called for mitigating the growing threat of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) and promoting the prudent use of antimicrobial drugs.
Addressing the workshop, Minister for Health and Food Safety Nisha Mehta said that analyzing drug consumption data and using the findings to guide policy decisions were crucial to curbing the unnecessary use of antimicrobial drugs.
She also stressed the importance of linking drug consumption data with regulation, supply, distribution and overall management of medicines.
The workshop reviewed data on antimicrobial drug consumption from 2016 to 2024. Participants also deliberated on regulatory provisions to promote the proper use of antibiotics. These include introducing red marking on medicine packages and banning the registration, renewal, import and manufacture of 103 types of antibiotics that are not recommended by the World Health Organization.
The seventh amendment of the National List of Essential Medicines was also made public at the event.
Describing antimicrobial resistance as an increasingly challenging public health issue, participants said proper use of drugs, effective regulation, data monitoring and coordination among concerned agencies were essential to containing the threat.
Government officials, representatives of pharmaceutical manufacturers, importers and industry associations, and other stakeholders attended the workshop.
