The Pharmaceutical Journal Vol 267 No 7168 p461-463
6 October 2001

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  OTC medicines
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OTC medicines

Will increasing workload really help?

From Mr C. Morris, MRPharmS

I read with interest the report in The Pharmaceutical Journal (29 September, p418) stating that a report in the BMJ considers it necessary for pharmacists to record all over-the-counter sales.

The researchers say that adverse drug reactions from OTC preparations are not reported well enough. How many times when asked, “Have you tried anything for this complaint?” has a customer replied, “The doctor gave me ... but it made me ill.” I wonder how many of these ADRs are reported?

The researchers say that over-use cannot be monitored. How many pharmacists have had to point out overprescribing to general practitioners who had “no idea the patient was taking so many”? The researchers say that incorrect use cannot be corrected. How many pharmacists have notes on computers for their locums along the lines of “The prescription for ... is always incorrect. Please substitute ... and return prescription to surgery”?

To get prescriptions a person has to be registered with a single surgery. However to get OTC medicines a person can go to any pharmacy. Will increasing our workload by recording OTC sales really help matters?

Everywhere that I have worked there are people who have been stopped from buying certain items because of misuse. Maybe they just buy them somewhere else now, who knows? But I also know of people who through the vigilance of pharmacy staff have had their incorrect use of OTC products corrected.

Perhaps we could use this report to try to form a united front with GPs to stop the switch of drugs to general sale list status. Perhaps, then, GPs and pharmacists could work together to create a sensible switching of drugs from POM to P and fight the idiocy that is out there.

Chris Morris
Newquay, Cornwall

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