NPA Statement In Response To The All Party Parliamentary Group Inquiry Into OTC And Prescription Medicines, UK

Main Category: Pharmacy / Pharmacist
Article Date: 23 Jan 2009 - 2:00 PDT

email to a friend   printer friendly   opinions  

The National Pharmacy Association acknowledges that misuse of some OTC products occurs in our society; it is widely accepted that there is a lack of credible research into the area which would give an indication of the scale, the root causes and driving forces behind the problem. Furthermore there is little or no research into the effectiveness of existing interventions and new interventions to address the issue.

It is important that more statistical research is conducted in all these areas so that a more complete picture can be ascertained. Until we are able to understand more about the nature and scale of the problem, it will be difficult to propose solutions as these may prove to be inappropriate or ineffective.

Although the problem of misuse of non-prescription medicines undoubtedly exists and is very serious for those involved or affected, the NPA believes that this must be seen in the context of the huge number of sales and supplies of these products. In the vast majority of cases people are able to treat symptoms effectively with little or no ill effect.

What we do know is that pharmacists, acting in accordance with guidance from pharmacy bodies including the Royal Pharmaceutical Society of Great Britain (RPSGB) and NPA, are as a whole, vigilant and responsible with regard to the sale of products which have dependency or misuse potential. The profession is also alert and pro-active in the identification of medicines which develop into problems, with regular updates and good practice guidance advice on topical issues. Pharmacists are well placed to spot misuse of OTC medicines. In fact, in 1998 when soft gelatin capsules of diphenhydramine (Sleepia®) were withdrawn, it was pharmacists who first noticed the potential for abuse and rapidly highlighted the issue."

The establishment of organisations and self-help groups which can really deal with the problem, and that these people can be referred to, is in our view critical. These could operate in a similar way to patients who are referred to organisations which tackle alcohol addiction or hard drug addiction or smoking addiction, and are in a position to offer a structured framework for helping these patients, in addition to the production of support material and promotional material to make people aware that they may have a misuse or abuse problem.

The pharmacy profession as a whole does realise that there is a potential underlying misuse and abuse problem which should not be underestimated. The profession pro-actively acts to restrict medication sales where appropriate; however further restriction is not the solution to the problem, especially when the benefit/risk profile for society as a whole is taken into account. Further research to identify the root causes, awareness campaigns and the establishment of bodies to help affected individuals once they are identified would appear to be the best options available at this stage.

The safest route for the supply of medicines is via pharmacy. We believe decisions taken by members of the public in regard to their medicines are best made with the support and advice from the community pharmacy team, so that they can make properly informed decisions.

Notes

In the UK, medicines are classified into one of three categories which determine how the public may obtain them. As the name implies, Prescription Only Medicines (POMs) are available only on prescription; Pharmacy medicines (P) are available only from registered pharmacies by or under the supervision of a pharmacist. However, the third category of medicines, General Sale List (GSL) medicines, are available from any outlet and there are no restrictions on the quantities of these medicines that a consumer may obtain at any one time. Some medicines with misuse potential, for example, laxatives, are GSL medicines and it is concerning that these can be obtained freely without restriction.

Since 1996 it has been a requirement of the pharmacy regulator, the Royal Pharmaceutical Society of Great Britain (RPSGB), that all staff who regularly work on the medicines counter in a pharmacy must undertake an accredited training course relevant to their duties. Part of this training ensures that the medicines counter assistant uses appropriate questioning techniques to make sure that the medicine is safe and appropriate for the patient. In addition, an important part of Medicines Counter Assistance training is an understanding of the misuse and dependency potential of some non-prescription medicines and referral of suspected problems to the pharmacist.

National Pharmacy Association

• Additional
• References
• Citations