Medicine Containing Codeine Will Require Prescriptions From 2018

Amid ongoing concerns about overuse and abuse of painkillers, all medicines containing codeine will require prescriptions from 1 February 2018.

The Therapeutic Goods Administration has made the decision after being swamped with submissions on the proposal, reports the Guardian.

Decisions to ban the sale of codeine products without a script has already taken shape in the US, most of Europe, Hong Kong and Japan. Australia will be next to follow suit.

Throughout a series of public consultations, the Therapeutic Goods Administration found many consumers use low-dose codeine medicine to self-treat chronic pain. However, these products aren’t intended for long-term conditions. “This mean that consumers frequently became addicted to codeine,” the regulator said.

Codeine may be found in common over-the-counter products, such as Codral, Nurofen Plus and Panadeine Forte.

Codeine decision shock: Government makes decision that is actually evidence-based and sensible. 😜 #auspol #aushealth

— Antony Scholefield (@antscholefield) December 19, 2016

Doctors have welcomed the move, but pharmacists are in opposition to it. They’re saying it will clog up GP clinics and increase health costs, without effectively identifying addicts.

Studies show overuse of opioid based painkillers—such as codeine, morphine and oxycodone—has increased four times over the past decade. Australia is one of a handful of countries consuming the bulk of the world’s opioid medication supply.

This is ridiculous. Paracetamol & ibuprofen R NOT equivalent to codeine, esp when you have severe pain https://t.co/p6BNnD1PVH via @abcnews

— Melanie OBrien (@DrMelOB) December 19, 2016

“We are the only country really, in the developed world, where codeine has been available without a prescription,” said Stephen Parnis, vice-president of the Australian Medical Association.

“The number of people suffering avoidable harm in this area has been increasing over time, to the point where, at least in Victoria, the number of deaths from overdose of prescription narcotics is higher than the road toll.”

The Age reports some codeine addicts ingest up to 100 tablets a day. Some people engage in “pharmacist shopping” to bypass rules introduced in 2010 that effectively restricted purchases of more than five days supply of the drug at one time.

The Australian Self-Medication Industry has previously warned the change may add an additional cost to Medicare, estimated to be around $170 million a year.

Photo: YouTube (@itnnews)