Switching prescription drugs to over the counter: Over the counter licensing is linked to direct to consumer advertising

doi:10.1136/bmj.330.7496.906

BMJ 2005;330:906 (16 April), doi:10.1136/bmj.330.7496.906

Letter

Switching prescription drugs to over the counter

Over the counter licensing is linked to direct to consumer advertising

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

EDITOR—Cohen et al ask what is driving increased availabilityof drugs over the counter.¹ I believe that the main reason themanufacturers of simvastatin have lobbied (successfully) forpermission to sell a 10 mg dose over the counter in the UnitedKingdom is to enable direct to consumer advertising of thispreviously prescription only drug.

People with a 10 year risk of ischaemic heart disease of 15%or greater (28.4% of men and 6.7% of women in the 1988 healthsurvey for England) who approach their pharmacist in responseto the advertising will be directed to their general practitionerfor an NHS prescription even though, owing to budgetary restrictions,many primary care trusts advise treating only those with a 10year risk of 30% or greater. Anyone with a 10 year risk of 10-15%will be offered the chance to buy the drug at full cost fromthe . . . [Full text of this article]

Robert G Bunney, general practitioner

Brannam Medical Centre, Barnstaple EX32 8GP robert.bunney@gp-L83073.nhs.uk

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