Switching prescription drugs to over the counter: Willingness to buy statin over the counter is not related to risk of heart disease

doi:10.1136/bmj.330.7496.905-a

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Jerry Quill (jdquill@yahoo.com), fourth year medical student, University of Bristol,
Richard Martin (Richard.Martin@bristol.ac.uk), senior lecturer in epidemiology and public health

Department of Social Medicine, University of Bristol, Bristol BS8 2PR

EDITOR—Appropriate self treatment is an important aspect of both the European and American healthcare systems.1 In August 2004 simvastatin 10 mg (Zocor Heart-Pro) became the first statin approved for over the counter sale by pharmacists for people at “moderate” risk of a major coronary event.2 Is this is another ill conceived example of “creeping privatisation” or a reasonable attempt to empower …