Over-the-counter medicines

Why Australia got it right with reclassifying codeine to prescription-only

Australia’s medicines regulator made a smart decision when it recently decided that codeine products will no longer be sold over the counter (OTC) ( The Pharmaceutical Journal online, 23 December 2016). Addiction and death have been linked to these products in many countries.…

Why Australia decided to make all codeine products prescription only

The recent decision in Australia to make codeine-containing medications prescription only from 2018 ( The Pharmaceutical Journal online, 23 December 2016) was reported to have been met with disappointment from the Pharmaceutical Society of Australia. As part of a pattern of increas…

Inappropriate piece about increasing OTC sales

I am concerned about one of your recent articles, particularly the headline ‘How pharmacists can boost sales of over-the-counter (OTC) medicines’ ( Pharmaceutical Journal online, 9 January 2016). I appreciate that community pharmacies need revenue from sales of OTC medi…

Fish oil supplement in pregnancy cuts child asthma risk

Taking omega-3 fatty acid supplements during pregnancy may protect against asthma in children, results from a study suggest.…

How pharmacists can boost sales of over-the-counter medicines

Joanna Mills, consumer and influencer insight manager at specialist over-the-counter pharmaceutical company Perrigo, uses examples from Warman-Freed pharmacy in London to explain how pharmacists can increase their sales of non-prescription products.…

Australia tightens restrictions over codeine-containing medicines

Products containing codeine will no longer be available over the counter in Australia following a review by its medicine’s regulator, the Therapeutic Goods Administration.…

Patients want to learn about their condition and medicines

The 2016 Proprietary Association Of Great Britain (PAGB) report ‘Self-care nation’ cites the public’s lack of awareness of pharmacists’ skills and expertise as the main barrier to using pharmacy as the first port of call for help to manage minor ailments ( Pharmac…

Most popular features of 2016 from The Pharmaceutical Journal

Dawn Connelly describes the most popular features and infographics published in 2016.…

New Zealand pharmacists support OTC trimethoprim prescribing

Pharmacists in New Zealand who are allowed to give women with uncomplicated cystitis a three-day supply of trimethoprim say patients appreciate the improved access to treatment.…

Emergency hormonal contraception should be on general sale in the UK, charity urges

Emergency hormonal contraception should be available to buy from non-pharmacy retail outlets in the UK, urges the British Pregnancy Advisory Service, a reproductive health services charity.…