Most pharmacists (85 per cent) believe that ranitidine products will be on sale in convenience stores and supermarkets within three years, market research has shown.
This belief is despite an assurance by the manufacturer of ranitidine that it intends only to distribute the product through pharmacy channels.
Most respondents (74 per cent) also felt that ranitidine would pose a safety risk for consumers if it was available as a medicine for self-selection. People would have a devalued perception of the product and would be more likely to use it inappropriately.
The majority of pharmacists felt that switching medicines from pharmacy to general sale list status trivialised medicines and devalued the pharmacist's role. Three quarters of those in the survey said that they recommended pharmacy medicines more often than medicines from the general sale list.