Codeine label changes
December 20, 2013
The Australian Self Medication
Industry has confirmed members
who supply pharmacy only (S3)
analgesics containing codeine have
agreed to print addiction warnings
on front-of-pack labels.
The warnings would read May
cause addiction. For three days use
only and would be seen on labels
from next year, ASMI said.
ASMI executive director Dr Deon
Schoombie said in August that
the organisation would support a
labelling change.
The decision to make changes to
the relevant labels followed months
of consultation with its members
and the Therapeutic Goods
Administration (TGA), he said.
The voluntary changes would not
apply to cough or cold products
containing codeine, which were
not known to be associated with
misuse and addiction, ASMI said.
There are already warnings on the
back of some S3 analgesic products
containing codeine in Australia and
New Zealand.
“While the vast majority of people
who use S3 codeine-combination
analgesics do so responsibly, the
issue of misuse and addiction to
these products is a serious health
issue, and one that prompted ASMI
and its members to work closely
with the TGA on ways to ensure
that these products are used safely
and that the risk of addiction is
minimised.”
The Pharmacy Guild and the
Pharmaceutical Society of Australia
(PSA) recently sent a letter to
pharmacists backing a Reckitt
Benckiser initiative to include
warnings on the Nurofen Plus
product range (PD 04 Dec), which
stated that codeine-containing
analgesics should be used for
only three days at a time and that
codeine could cause addiction.
Cautionary labels accompanied
the letter with a guide to
counselling as an interim measure
until packaging changes could be
organised next year.
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