Over-the-counter medicines

Older adults should consult pharmacists on OTC sleep medications, researchers say

Out of 116 older adults, only 16% consulted a healthcare professional about their sleep aid and most would not think to consult a pharmacist, interviews reveal.…

Too early to tell if vitamin D has a role in reducing the common cold

Community pharmacists are repeatedly asked for recommendations to reduce the risk of catching a cold. The advertising of novel products such as nasal sprays, gargles, face masks and a plethora of potential protective botanical products can cause confusion about what really might be useful and approp…

A new way to look at acute cough in the pharmacy

Cough is the most common symptom for which people seek medical advice, and patients with cough frequently present to community pharmacy. Cough can be either acute or chronic. Acute cough, defined as being of less than three weeks’ duration, is often caused by viral respiratory tract infection …

NHS England to issue guidance on dropping ‘low priority’ drugs from NHS prescriptions

NHS England has identified a number of medicines that should no longer be available on prescription in a move that would save the NHS £128m a year.…

MHRA recommends that sildenafil is made available over the counter in the UK

Sildenafil — the prescription-only medicine branded as Viagra for the treatment of erectile dysfunction — could become a pharmacy (P) medicine if government proposals go ahead.…

New Zealand pharmacists will soon be able to dispense OTC oral contraception

Pharmacists in New Zealand will soon be able to dispense certain types of oral contraceptive to women without a prescription.…

Sprays do better than devices in repelling mosquitoes

Sprays containing DEET (N,N-diethyl-meta-toluamide) or PMD (p-menthane-3,8-diol) are more effective at repelling the mosquito species that spreads Zika, chikungunya, yellow fever and dengue than other types of products on the market, a study has found.…

Panic over “symptomatuc refief” for throat problems

The reported shortage of a popular throat mixture has sent panic across the entertainment industry because of its popularity with actors, singers and performers.…

Consumers at risk from drug ingredients in herbal food supplements

Consumers are being put at risk from herbal supplements available over the counter that contain pharmacological ingredients not listed on the product label, according to research published in the Journal of the Association of Public Analysts .…

FDA insists on warning labels for OTC chlorhexidine products

The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has told manufacturers of over-the-counter antiseptic products that contain chlorhexidine gluconate to add warning labels to their products about the possibility of a serious but rare allergic reaction.…