POM-to-P move planned for trimethoprim
Consultation has started on making trimethoprim a pharmacy medicine for the treatment of acute bacterial cystitis.
If approved, pharmacists will be able to sell trimethoprim to women aged
from 16 to 70 years who have had a previously confirmed diagnosis. Packs
would be restricted to six 200mg tablets with a twice daily dosing schedule.
Alpharma, which has applied for the reclassification, says that pharmacists
are well placed to provide treatment for cystistis, often being the first
health profesional that women consult when they develop symptoms.
The company has developed a protocol and training material, together
with a customer questionnaire, to help identify those cases that are
suitable for treatment with trimethoprim. The protocol closely mirrors
that used in general medical practice.
Comments on the proposal can be sent
to Amanda Lawrence, Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency,
Room 14-110, Market Towers, 1 Nine Elms Lane, London SW8 5NQ until 16
August.
The full consultation document is
accessible as a PDF file
(90K); also Questions and answers PDF (30K) |
The
Pharmaceutical Journal
Acrobat
Reader