First pharmacy-only triptan launched by GSK
OTC product offers faster access |
Sumatriptan tablets will soon be available over the counter following the launch of Imigran Recovery (sumatriptan; GlaxoSmithKline) 50mg tablets as a pharmacy-only medicine this week.
Customers will need to complete a migraine questionnaire to establish
whether treatment with Imigran Recovery is appropriate. The questionnaire
covers personal details, medical history and migraine experience. To
avoid having to fill in the same details repeatedly, patients deemed
suitable for treatment with Imigran can be supplied with a one-year treatment
card, validated and dated by the pharmacist.
To be suitable for pharmacy supply of Imigran Recovery patients should
be aged 18–65 years, have a history of five or more migraine attacks
over a period of at least a year and have had a clear diagnosis made
by a doctor or pharmacist.
The recommended dose is one 50mg tablet. If there is a response to the
first tablet, but symptoms recur, a second tablet may be taken. This
must, however, be at least two hours after the first tablet has been
taken and no more than two tablets should be taken either to treat the
same attack or in any 24-hour period.
GSK expects migraine sufferers to buy Imigran Recovery in advance of
suffering a migraine, and each tablet is supplied in an individual carry
case. However, Imigran Recovery should not be used prophylactically or
to treat hemiplegic migraine, basilar migraine or ophthalmoplegic migraine,
the summary of product characteristics says. The questionnaire is designed
to distinguish between these different types of migraine, a spokesman
for GSK said. It will be available at www.imigranrecovery.co.uk from 15
June.
The Royal Pharmaceutical Society has published practice guidance for
pharmacists. The guidance provides information on migraine management,
how sumatriptan works, which patients should be referred to their GPs,
administration, cautions, adverse effects, contraindications and interactions.
Sid Dajani, chairman of the Society’s Practice Committee, commented: “Patients
with an established pattern of migraine now have a wider therapy choice
and faster access to a safe and clinically proven treatment which was
previously only available from a GP on prescription.” Pharmacists
are ideally placed to professionally assess whether patients experiencing
migraine attacks are suitable for sumatriptan over-the-counter supply,
he added.
Notice-board p619
Society p639 |
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