Ireland Considers Switching 12 Medicines to OTC Status

Ireland's Health Products Regulatory Authority (HPRA) has published a list of twelve active ingredients (or combinations of ingredients) that are currently classified as prescription-only medicines (POM) which it believes could safely be made available to consumers over-the-counter (OTC).

There are currently 34 drugs approved in Ireland that contain one of the ingredients included on the list, including medicines for the treatment of migraine, acid reflux, hay fever, cold sores, muscle pain and inflammation, fungal skin and nail infections and other inflammatory skin conditions. 

Publication of the list was welcomed by the Irish Pharmaceutical Healthcare Association (IPHA), which represents the international research-based pharmaceutical industry in Ireland, and the Irish Pharmacy Union (IPU), which represents 2,100 community pharmacists across the country.

The HPRA is now seeking expressions of interest from the pharmaceutical companies that supply these medicines to apply to have them reclassified.

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