Healthy Skepticism Library item: 13482

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Publication type: Journal Article

Ferner RE, Beard K.
Over the counter medicines: proceed with caution
BMJ 2008 Mar 29; 336:(7646):694
http://www.bmj.com/cgi/content/full/336/7646/694

Abstract:

Robin Ferner and Keith Beard caution that the risks of increasing people’s access to over the counter medicines may outweigh the benefits

An all party parliamentary group in England is currently assessing whether there is a case for banning over the counter access to analgesics containing weak opioids.1 Recent coroner’s inquests found that a 41 year old man died from respiratory depression after taking an over the counter analgesic containing paracetamol and dihydrocodeine2 and attributed the death of a 49 year old woman to renal failure from addiction to an over the counter preparation containing ibuprofen and codeine.3 Here we consider what determines whether a medicine is available over the counter and whether changes are needed…

Notes:

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