THE Australian Self-Medication Industry has recommended an increase in the reclassification of medicines from prescription-only to OTC as a key public health strategy.
A panel of experts taking part in the upcoming World Self Medication Industry (WSMI) conference in Sydney 18-19 Oct will discuss the issue, with Australia's "switch" rate lagging against other nations in recent years.
Key downscheduling success stories include analgesics such as ibuprofin; antihistamines and intranasal steroids for allergy; H2RA and PPIs for heartburn; antifungals; and smoking cessation products.
The agenda will include the successful New Zealand switch which enabled prescription-free dispensing of sildenafil by specially trained pharmacists and its benefits for men's issues.
And global expert Dr Edwin Hemwall will present the case that "switch is a vital enabler of self-care" - for more details on the conference see wsmiga2017.com.
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