For the first time, Britain has allowed an oral antibiotic used to treat chlamydia to be sold without prescription, the Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) said on Wednesday.

People over 16 will be able to buy the azithromycin pill Clamelle, manufactured by Icelandic drugmaker Actavis, after testing positive for the infection. The drug will also be made available over-the-counter (OTC) for their sexual partners. The new regulation will come into effect later this year

There is hope for treating tropical diseases. A U.S.-funded program integrates for the first time treatment programs for tropical diseases that affects 1 billion people, or one out of six of the world population.

The U.S. Agency for International Development-funded Neglected Tropical Disease Control Program is behind the distribution of medicines to more than 14 million people in four African nations affected with lymphatic filariasis, schistosomiasis, trachoma, onchocerciasis, and soil-transmitted helminths