No, I'm not back, but my ID still works, and this is a one-off important post.
The MHRA (Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Authority) are proposing to make ephedrine and pseudoephedrine Prescription Only Medicines (POM). Their claimed justification is that these drugs are precursors for methylamphetamine (crystal meth) and they need to make it hard for illicit drug manufacturers to obtain them.
The problem is there is no evidence that a significant amount of crystal meth is made from purchased cold/flu/decongestant remedies. It may be made with them, but most of it is stolen from manufacturers or pharmacies, not bought over the counter.
The downside of their proposal is that you will no longer be able to buy a whole raft of products that have these drugs in their contents. Manufacturers may change their formulation to use the "alternative" phenylephrine, but that is nowhere near as effective, in fact there is considerable doubt as to whether it is any use at all when taken orally.
Organisations such as the PAGB (Proprietary Association of Great Britain) and the National Pharmacy Association are opposed to these proposals:
http://www.pagb.co.uk/media/downloa...and methamphetamine - 27th February 2007.doc
http://www.npa.co.uk/newsarticle.php?id=5ddd91fa302f4069794ecbf734627ba8
http://www.pjonline.com/Editorial/20070421/news/p445pseudoephedrine.html
as are a number of readers of the Pharmacy Journal:
http://www.pjonline.com/Editorial/20070331/comment/lett01.html
http://www.pjonline.com/Editorial/20070414/comment/lett01.html
More here:
PAGB
NPA
Pharmacy Journal
If the reclassification happens, you won't be able to simply buy remedies that you use each winter, either as and when you need, or that you keep in the cupboard just in case. There's a partial list below. Instead you'll have to make a doctor's appointment and go and get a prescription (and if only a small number of the 10's of millions of people who currently treat their symptoms without going to their GP do this they simply won't be able to cope, and the cost to the NHS will be huge). The cost to you will be huge too, as a prescription charge is more expensive than a straight purchase. Or you could just suffer for longer, and take more time off work – I wonder what the cost to the economy of that will be?. Unsurprisingly the RIA in the MHRA proposals does not consider any of these costs.
What can you do?
1) Go to the MHRA website, and comment on their proposals. http://www.mhra.gov.uk/home/idcplg?...030435&RevisionSelectionMethod=LatestReleased
2) Sign the petition on the No. 10 website: http://petitions.pm.gov.uk/stoptheswitch/
3) Write to your MP: http://www.upmystreet.com/commons/l/
4) Pass this on to any other fora you use.
PSEUDOEPHEDRINE CONTAINING PRODUCTS INCLUDE:
Actifed Adult Chesty 100ml Cough liquid
Actifed Adult Dry 100ml Cough liquid
Actifed Liquid 100ml Cold & Flu
Actifed Tablet 12ct Cold & Flu
Actifed Dry Coughs
Actifed Syrup
Actifed Tablets
BCM Day Time Cold Relief
BCM Night Time Cold Relief
BCM Decongestant Tablets
BCM Decongestant Syrup
Benadryl Plus Capsules
Benylin Day & Night tablets
Benylin 4 Flu Liquid
Benylin 4 Flu Tablets
Benylin Cough & Congestion Liquid
Boots Antitussive Linctus
Boots Day Cold Comfort Capsules
Boots Childrens Decongestant Syrup
Boots Decongestant Tablets
Boots Night Cold Comfort Capsules
Boots Paediatric Catarrh Syrup
Boots Cough & Cold relief syrup 2yrs +
Boots Decongestant Syrup
Boots Junior Cough & Cold Sugar Free Syrup With Decongestant
Boots Nirolex Chesty Cough & Congestion Gel
Boots Pharmacy Cold & Flu Night Liquid
Boots Dry Cough Linctus
Boots Pharmacy Day Cold & Flu Capsules
Boots Pharmacy Night Cold & Flu Capsules
Boots Pharmacy Cold & Flu 24-Hour Capsules
Boots Decongestant Tablets With Paracetamol
Boots Cold & Flu Relief With Ibuprofen
Boots Catarrh Cough Syrup
Centapharm Zephrol Cough Expectorant
Congesteze
Congesteze Syrup
Congesteze Paediatric Syrup
Contac Decongestant
Co-op Nasal and Sinus Relief tablets with decongestant
Cupal Bedtime Cold Medicine
Day & Night Nurse Capsule
Day Nurse Capsule
Day Nurse Liquid (160ml & 240ml)
Galpseud Adult Dry Cough Liquid
Galpseud plus linctus
Galpseud tablets 60mg
Galpharm Health Care Sinuclear Plus Tablets
Galpharm Dual Action Non-Drowsy Decongestant Tablets
Lemsip Max Flu Lemon
Lemsip Flu 12hr capsules
Lemsip Cold & Flu Sinus 12hr
LLoyds Pharmacy Nasal & Sinus Relief Tablets with Decongestant
Lloyds Pharmacy Cold and Flu Relief Tablets with Decongestant
Meltus Adult Chesty + Congestion Cough Liquid
Meltus Adult Dry Cough Liquid
Meltus Junior Dry Paediatric Cough Liquid
Nirolex Day Cold Comfort Liquid
Nirolex Dry Cough & Congestion Relief
Nirolex Night Cold Comfort Liquid
Nirolex Chesty Syrup
Nirolex Day Cold & Flu Comfort
Nirolex Day Cold & Flu Capsules
Nirolex Night Cold & Flu Capsules
Nirolex Day & Night 24-Hour Capsules
Nirolex Decongestant Syrup Oral Solution
Numark decongestant tablets with Paracetamol
Nurofen Cold & Flu tablets
Otrivine Mucron Tablets (12s & 24s)
Pseudoephedrine Tablets
Robitussin for Chesty Coughs with Congestion
Sinutab 15s & 30s tablets
Sudafed Elixir
Sudafed Children’s Elixir
Sudafed Decongestant 12’s & 24s tablets
Sudafed Dual Relief Max 12s & 24s tablets
Sudafed Congestion cold & flu capsules
Sudafed 12 hour capsules
Sudafed Linctus
Sudafed Expectorant
Tixylix Cough & Cold Paediatric Dry Cough Liquid
Unichem Day Time Cold Relief Liquid
Unichem Night Time Cold Relief
Vicks Medinite
Waymade Sudafed Tablets
Wrafton Expectorant & Decongestant Cough Syrup
Wrafton Dry Cough Syrup With Decongestant
The MHRA (Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Authority) are proposing to make ephedrine and pseudoephedrine Prescription Only Medicines (POM). Their claimed justification is that these drugs are precursors for methylamphetamine (crystal meth) and they need to make it hard for illicit drug manufacturers to obtain them.
The problem is there is no evidence that a significant amount of crystal meth is made from purchased cold/flu/decongestant remedies. It may be made with them, but most of it is stolen from manufacturers or pharmacies, not bought over the counter.
The downside of their proposal is that you will no longer be able to buy a whole raft of products that have these drugs in their contents. Manufacturers may change their formulation to use the "alternative" phenylephrine, but that is nowhere near as effective, in fact there is considerable doubt as to whether it is any use at all when taken orally.
Organisations such as the PAGB (Proprietary Association of Great Britain) and the National Pharmacy Association are opposed to these proposals:
http://www.pagb.co.uk/media/downloa...and methamphetamine - 27th February 2007.doc
http://www.npa.co.uk/newsarticle.php?id=5ddd91fa302f4069794ecbf734627ba8
http://www.pjonline.com/Editorial/20070421/news/p445pseudoephedrine.html
as are a number of readers of the Pharmacy Journal:
http://www.pjonline.com/Editorial/20070331/comment/lett01.html
http://www.pjonline.com/Editorial/20070414/comment/lett01.html
More here:
PAGB
NPA
Pharmacy Journal
If the reclassification happens, you won't be able to simply buy remedies that you use each winter, either as and when you need, or that you keep in the cupboard just in case. There's a partial list below. Instead you'll have to make a doctor's appointment and go and get a prescription (and if only a small number of the 10's of millions of people who currently treat their symptoms without going to their GP do this they simply won't be able to cope, and the cost to the NHS will be huge). The cost to you will be huge too, as a prescription charge is more expensive than a straight purchase. Or you could just suffer for longer, and take more time off work – I wonder what the cost to the economy of that will be?. Unsurprisingly the RIA in the MHRA proposals does not consider any of these costs.
What can you do?
1) Go to the MHRA website, and comment on their proposals. http://www.mhra.gov.uk/home/idcplg?...030435&RevisionSelectionMethod=LatestReleased
2) Sign the petition on the No. 10 website: http://petitions.pm.gov.uk/stoptheswitch/
3) Write to your MP: http://www.upmystreet.com/commons/l/
4) Pass this on to any other fora you use.
PSEUDOEPHEDRINE CONTAINING PRODUCTS INCLUDE:
Actifed Adult Chesty 100ml Cough liquid
Actifed Adult Dry 100ml Cough liquid
Actifed Liquid 100ml Cold & Flu
Actifed Tablet 12ct Cold & Flu
Actifed Dry Coughs
Actifed Syrup
Actifed Tablets
BCM Day Time Cold Relief
BCM Night Time Cold Relief
BCM Decongestant Tablets
BCM Decongestant Syrup
Benadryl Plus Capsules
Benylin Day & Night tablets
Benylin 4 Flu Liquid
Benylin 4 Flu Tablets
Benylin Cough & Congestion Liquid
Boots Antitussive Linctus
Boots Day Cold Comfort Capsules
Boots Childrens Decongestant Syrup
Boots Decongestant Tablets
Boots Night Cold Comfort Capsules
Boots Paediatric Catarrh Syrup
Boots Cough & Cold relief syrup 2yrs +
Boots Decongestant Syrup
Boots Junior Cough & Cold Sugar Free Syrup With Decongestant
Boots Nirolex Chesty Cough & Congestion Gel
Boots Pharmacy Cold & Flu Night Liquid
Boots Dry Cough Linctus
Boots Pharmacy Day Cold & Flu Capsules
Boots Pharmacy Night Cold & Flu Capsules
Boots Pharmacy Cold & Flu 24-Hour Capsules
Boots Decongestant Tablets With Paracetamol
Boots Cold & Flu Relief With Ibuprofen
Boots Catarrh Cough Syrup
Centapharm Zephrol Cough Expectorant
Congesteze
Congesteze Syrup
Congesteze Paediatric Syrup
Contac Decongestant
Co-op Nasal and Sinus Relief tablets with decongestant
Cupal Bedtime Cold Medicine
Day & Night Nurse Capsule
Day Nurse Capsule
Day Nurse Liquid (160ml & 240ml)
Galpseud Adult Dry Cough Liquid
Galpseud plus linctus
Galpseud tablets 60mg
Galpharm Health Care Sinuclear Plus Tablets
Galpharm Dual Action Non-Drowsy Decongestant Tablets
Lemsip Max Flu Lemon
Lemsip Flu 12hr capsules
Lemsip Cold & Flu Sinus 12hr
LLoyds Pharmacy Nasal & Sinus Relief Tablets with Decongestant
Lloyds Pharmacy Cold and Flu Relief Tablets with Decongestant
Meltus Adult Chesty + Congestion Cough Liquid
Meltus Adult Dry Cough Liquid
Meltus Junior Dry Paediatric Cough Liquid
Nirolex Day Cold Comfort Liquid
Nirolex Dry Cough & Congestion Relief
Nirolex Night Cold Comfort Liquid
Nirolex Chesty Syrup
Nirolex Day Cold & Flu Comfort
Nirolex Day Cold & Flu Capsules
Nirolex Night Cold & Flu Capsules
Nirolex Day & Night 24-Hour Capsules
Nirolex Decongestant Syrup Oral Solution
Numark decongestant tablets with Paracetamol
Nurofen Cold & Flu tablets
Otrivine Mucron Tablets (12s & 24s)
Pseudoephedrine Tablets
Robitussin for Chesty Coughs with Congestion
Sinutab 15s & 30s tablets
Sudafed Elixir
Sudafed Children’s Elixir
Sudafed Decongestant 12’s & 24s tablets
Sudafed Dual Relief Max 12s & 24s tablets
Sudafed Congestion cold & flu capsules
Sudafed 12 hour capsules
Sudafed Linctus
Sudafed Expectorant
Tixylix Cough & Cold Paediatric Dry Cough Liquid
Unichem Day Time Cold Relief Liquid
Unichem Night Time Cold Relief
Vicks Medinite
Waymade Sudafed Tablets
Wrafton Expectorant & Decongestant Cough Syrup
Wrafton Dry Cough Syrup With Decongestant