The Pharmaceutical Journal
Vol 279 No 7463 p133-136
4 August 2007

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BNF multivitamin preparations

Pamela Mason looks at the seven multivitamin products listed in the British National Formulary

Continuing professional development articles

SUMMARY

The multivitamin section in the current British National Formulary (section 9.6.7) contains just seven products compared with 23 in BNF 6 (1983). Vitamins were one of the categories affected by the introduction of a limited prescribing list in 1985 and fewer products were included on the “white list”.

Sejal Amin, staff editor on the BNF, comments: “The reason that only seven multivitamin preparations appear in the BNF is because they are not blacklisted and are commonly prescribed. There are many multivitamin preparations available over the counter, however the BNF does not include details of products sold OTC and promoted to the public.

“Moreover, the BNF takes the view that vitamin supplementation is rarely necessary and that, in deficiency, a specific vitamin can be prescribed as needed but attention should probably focus on diet.”

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