Utilization of non-prescription medicines in minor ailments management: A nationwide study undertaken among Malaysian community pharmacists

The absence of dispensing separation between private doctor clinics and pharmacies is the main challenge of theMalaysian community pharmacists. Within this context, the utilization of non-prescription medicines for minorailments treatment is one of the major roles of the pharmacists. This study aimed to evaluate the minor ailmentsmanagement using non-prescription medicines among the Malaysian community pharmacists. This was a crosssectional descriptive study. The entire population of Malaysian community pharmacists (n = 2,730) were invitedfor participation. Data were collected across the first 10 requests for minor ailments management involved adultconsumers in a working day. A total of 173 pharmacists were participated (response rate 6.3%) and 1,704 consumerswith 2,149 minor ailments were encountered. The consumers mostly have one minor ailment (78.3%) and involvedacute conditions (92.3%). Productive cough (7.3%), fever (6.3%), and dermatitis (6.1%) were most commonlymanaged by the pharmacists. Cetirizine (5.9%), paracetamol (4.7%), and diclofenac (4.2%) were most frequentlydispensed and each consumer received an average (median) of two medications. The median duration of treatment was5 days [inter-quartile range (IQR): 3–7] and the cost of treatment involved only medicines cost (median: RM 13.40;IQR: 8.00–21.00) without any consultation fee. The majority of the consumers (75.5%) sought help from pharmacistsfirst without consulting the doctors. Only 16.4% of the consumers were followed-up by the pharmacists. In conclusion,the pharmacists actively managed the minor ailments with an affordable cost of treatment. Guidelines and an auditsystem should be established to enhance the minor ailments practices of the pharmacists.

Review of the efficacy and safety of over-the-counter medicine / Revisão sobre a eficácia e segurança de over-the -counter medicina

Over-the-counter medicines are available without prescription because of their safety and effectiveness, to treat minor ailments and symptoms. The objective of the study was to analyze the availability and quality of systematic reviews published about nonprescription medicines, identifying the groups for which there are gaps in evidence. We identified published articles through the Cochrane Database of Systematic Review and MEDLINE, from the start of the database until May 2012, using the search terms "nonprescription drugs," "over the counter," and "OTC." We searched for articles that describe systematic reviews addressing the efficacy and safety of drugs dispensed without a prescription, according to the lists published by the Association of the European Self-Medication Industry and in Brazil, in the clinical conditions listed in Groups and Specified Therapeutic Indications. We included 49 articles, 18 articles were of moderate quality and 31 of high quality. Of the studies, 74.5% demonstrated efficacy in favor of the use of drugs evaluated. Of the 24 studies that evaluated safety, 21% showed evidence unfavorable to the drug. Overall, the evidence found in the studies included in the overview is favorable to the use of the drugs evaluated. However, there are gaps in evidence for some therapy groups...

Os medicamentos isentos de prescrição são disponíveis sem prescrição médica devido a sua efetividade e segurança, para tratar sintomas e males menores. O objetivo deste trabalho é revisar a disponibilidade e qualidade das revisões sistemáticas publicadas sobre medicamentos isentos de prescrição, identificando os grupos para os quais há lacunas de evidência. Foram identificados artigos publicados através da Cochrane Database of Systematic Review e MEDLINE (via PubMed) desde o início da base até maio de 2012, utilizando os termos "nonprescription drugs," "over the counter," "OTC". Foram procurados artigos que descrevessem revisão sistemática abordando a eficácia e segurança dos medicamentos dispensados sem prescrição, de acordo com as listas publicadas pela Association of the European Self-Medication Industry e no Brasil, nas condições clínicas constantes na lista de Grupos e Indicações Terapêuticas Especificadas. Foram incluídos 49 artigos, 18 artigos eram de qualidade moderada e 31 de alta qualidade. 74,5% dos estudos demonstraram eficácia favorável ao uso do medicamento avaliado. Dos 24 estudos que avaliaram segurança, 21% mostraram evidência desfavorável ao uso do medicamento. No geral, a evidência encontrada nos estudos incluídos nesta revisão é favorável ao uso dos medicamentos avaliados. Entretanto, há grupos terapêuticos para os quais há lacunas na evidência...

Evaluation system and prospects on nonprescription medicines in China / 中国药学杂志

OBJECTIVE: To improve the worlds understanding about Chinese evaluation system of nonprescription medicines; to help Chinese pharmaceutical enterprises know more about nonprescription and the procedures of application; to promote relevant departments to make contributions to the development of evaluation system on nonprescription medicines and the establishment of the frame of the responsible self-medication for the public. METHODS: Based on the related Chinese regulations and policies, the establishment and development of Chinese evaluation system on nonprescription medicines is elaborated, and problems are proposed and the further development is suggested. RESULTS: Although Chinese evaluation system on nonprescription medicines has been established and made great progress, further exploratory is needed. CONCLUSION: Themanagement on drug classification and the research on technical evaluation of nonprescription medicines needs to be strengthened, which has a broad prospect in the future.