DUBAI // Prescription eye drops are back on private pharmacy shelves today after stocks ran out in a labelling mix-up.
A shipment of Xalatan, used to treat glaucoma, was wrongly labelled by the manufacturer as being for Ministry of Health use only.
This meant the medication could not be distributed to private pharmacies, leaving them out of stock for three months.
Ministry officials said yesterday they had waived the labelling regulations and the Xalatan eye drops would available in private pharmacies from today.
Dr Amin Al Amiri, the assistant undersecretary for medical practices and licences, said: "We allowed them to bring it in exclusively this time just to cover the needs of the community.
"This is an indication that we are following any shortage in the market with manufacturers and local agents.
"We aim to serve the community and to help them at any time. We ask the community to communicate with us if there is any shortage in any medicine."
Mahesh Mohanan, a pharmacist at SuperCare pharmacy in Jumeirah, said: "The eye drops are only given by prescription. They have been out of stock for about three months now."
Dr Hossein Zadeh, an eye consultant at New Shifa Clinic in Dubai, said: "For some patients, it is more convenient to use one kind of medication and they tend to get used to the same bottle, but we can achieve the same effect with other medicines.
"Xalatan is a medication to treat eye pressure and glaucoma but if it is not available then there are other options and medicines that can be used."
"What Xalatan does is it reduces the increased pressure in the eye and patients need to use it on a daily basis," said Dr Moza Ali Dekhain, the head of the ophthalmology department at Dubai Hospital.
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Country-size land deals
US interest in purchasing territory is not as outlandish as it sounds. Here's a look at some big land transactions between nations:
Louisiana Purchase
If Donald Trump is one who aims to broker "a deal of the century", then this was the "deal of the 19th Century". In 1803, the US nearly doubled in size when it bought 2,140,000 square kilometres from France for $15 million.
Florida Purchase Treaty
The US courted Spain for Florida for years. Spain eventually realised its burden in holding on to the territory and in 1819 effectively ceded it to America in a wider border treaty.
Alaska purchase
America's spending spree continued in 1867 when it acquired 1,518,800 km2 of Alaskan land from Russia for $7.2m. Critics panned the government for buying "useless land".
The Philippines
At the end of the Spanish-American War, a provision in the 1898 Treaty of Paris saw Spain surrender the Philippines for a payment of $20 million.
US Virgin Islands
It's not like a US president has never reached a deal with Denmark before. In 1917 the US purchased the Danish West Indies for $25m and renamed them the US Virgin Islands.
Gwadar
The most recent sovereign land purchase was in 1958 when Pakistan bought the southwestern port of Gwadar from Oman for 5.5bn Pakistan rupees.
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How to protect yourself when air quality drops
Install an air filter in your home.
Close your windows and turn on the AC.
Shower or bath after being outside.
Wear a face mask.
Stay indoors when conditions are particularly poor.
If driving, turn your engine off when stationary.
What is the FNC?
The Federal National Council is one of five federal authorities established by the UAE constitution. It held its first session on December 2, 1972, a year to the day after Federation.
It has 40 members, eight of whom are women. The members represent the UAE population through each of the emirates. Abu Dhabi and Dubai have eight members each, Sharjah and Ras al Khaimah six, and Ajman, Fujairah and Umm Al Quwain have four.
They bring Emirati issues to the council for debate and put those concerns to ministers summoned for questioning.
The FNC’s main functions include passing, amending or rejecting federal draft laws, discussing international treaties and agreements, and offering recommendations on general subjects raised during sessions.
Federal draft laws must first pass through the FNC for recommendations when members can amend the laws to suit the needs of citizens. The draft laws are then forwarded to the Cabinet for consideration and approval.
Since 2006, half of the members have been elected by UAE citizens to serve four-year terms and the other half are appointed by the Ruler’s Courts of the seven emirates.
In the 2015 elections, 78 of the 252 candidates were women. Women also represented 48 per cent of all voters and 67 per cent of the voters were under the age of 40.
