2017/21: Pain-relief medications: should Australia ban over-the-counter sale of codeine products?
Introduction to the media issue
Video clip at right: On October 20, 2017, Today Tonight included a segment dealing with codeine addiction in Australia and the ban on over-the-counter sales to begin from February 1, 2018.What they said...
'Lots of people use codeine safely and appropriately to deal with migraines, toothache and period pain. A bureaucracy telling them "No, you can't have that" won't be well received'
Greg Turnbull, a spokesperson for the Pharmacy Guild of Australia
' It's important that people realise that the decision's been taken based on safety predominantly and based on the risk of abuse'
Dr Tim Greenaway, the Therapeutic Goods Administration's principal medical officer
The issue at a glance
On January 25, 2017, the body overseeing goods supplied for medical and therapeutic purposes in Australia, the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA), announced that it would be reclassifying (or rescheduling) medications containing codeine so that they could no longer be purchased without a doctor's prescription.
Medications that can be purchased without prescription are described as being available for over-the-counter sale.
The ban will come into effect on February 1, 2018.
The ban is being imposed because of concern regarding growing misuse of codeine products. On January 19, 2018, the Therapeutic Goods Administration published on its Codeine information hub a reminder of the impending ban and a restatement of the reasons why it has been imposed.
The decision has taken years to put into effect as it has undergone an impact review resulting in a favourable regulation impact statement.
The review was undertaken after lobbying from groups such as the Pharmacy Guild of Australia.The Pharmacy Guild is the representative body for dispensing chemists in Australia. Together with the Pharmaceutical Society of Australia and the Australian Self Medication Industry, the Guild has been a consistent opponent of the ban, claiming it is not the most effective response to codeine misuse and that it will disadvantage the majority of consumers who use the product safely .
On October 6, 2017, state health ministers (excluding South Australia), sent a letter the federal Health Minister, Greg Hunt, opposing the ban.
However, the federal minister rejected their arguments. The Pharmacy Guild is now seeking an exemption to the ban that would allow pharmacists to supply without prescription a small quantity of codeine-containing medication for the treatment of short-term conditions.