The Pharmaceutical Journal
Vol 278 No 7454 p644
2 June 2007

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• White Paper (4)
• Technicians
• Pseudoephedrine
• Community contract
• Substance misuse
• Dispensing errors

Letters to the Editor

Pseudoephedrine

We can adapt the New Zealand model

From Miss S. Patel, MRPharmS

I firmly agree with what Chris London says (PJ, 19 May, p586) about the proposed pharmacy to prescription-only-medicine switch for pseudoephedrine. The UK is in a position to have a similar system to New Zealand (having a central database which stores all sales of “pharmacist only” medicines). With the roll-out of the electronic prescribing service in the near future, there is no reason why pseudoephedrine, along with other over-the-counter medicines subject to misuse (such as codeine-containing analgesics) cannot be sold solely by a pharmacist, perhaps as an extension of our role in the “minor ailments service”. The information collected can be fed back to GPs via the EPS, thus allowing them to monitor frequent and large quantity purchases.

With so much talk about the greater role of community pharmacy within health care, the regulatory authorities have to acknowledge that we cannot advance if they take away some of our most basic responsibilities. Also, by making the switch, the burden will simply be displaced onto GPs. This contradicts one of the main purposes of the new pharmacy contract, which is trying to utilise pharmacists’ knowledge and skills to a greater extent, thus freeing GPs to focus on patients with more serious conditions.

The only true way to control this potential problem is through unity between pharmacists and GPs. Besides, if current GP prescribing is anything to go by, they are no better at curbing patient dependence. I have seen many patients on long-term benzodiazepines, zopiclone and high strength analgesics where there has been no review for their necessity after an initial, short-term indication. The items have remained on the patient’s repeat prescription and the GP never considers titrating the patient off the drugs. Therefore, what is to say that GPs will be any better at managing the prescribing of pseudoephedrine?

S. Patel
Harrow, Middlesex

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