Switching prescription drugs to over the counter

doi:10.1136/bmj.330.7481.39

BMJ 2005;330:39-41 (1 January), doi:10.1136/bmj.330.7481.39

Education and debate

Switching prescription drugs to over the counter

Joshua P Cohen, senior research fellow¹, Cherie Paquette, research coordinator¹, Catherine P Cairns, research coordinator¹

¹ Tufts Center for the Study of Drug Development, Tufts University School of Medicine, 192 South Street, Suite 550, Boston MA 02111, USA

Correspondence to: J P Cohen joshua.cohen@tufts.edu

Appropriate self treatment is an important aspect of both theEuropean and American healthcare systems, but what is reallydriving increased over the counter availability?

The first 150 words of the full text of this article appear below.

Introduction

Increased numbers of prescription drugs are being made availableover the counter worldwide. Recent high profile switches haveincluded drugs in classes previously not eligible, such as omeprazolein Sweden and simvastatin in the United Kingdom. Switches aremotivated mainly by three factors: pharmaceutical firms' desireto extend the viability of brand names; attempts by healthcarefunders to contain costs; and the self care movement. Makingdrugs available over the counter affects a large number of stakeholders,including patients, pharmaceutical firms, physicians, pharmacists,drug regulatory agencies, and private and public health fundingorganisations. In this article, we illustrate the roles thatpharmaceutical firms, healthcare organisations, and governmentregulatory agencies played in three recent switches that havefuelled global debate: simvastatin in the United Kingdom, omeprazolein Sweden, and loratadine in the United States.

Simvastatin

Generally, a prescription drug becomes a candidate for overthe counter availability if it is used for . . . [Full text of this article]

Omeprazole

Loratadine

Effect of over the counter availability

US regulatory change

Future implications

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