Counterculture 30: Medicines classification
At the OTC Pharmacy Millie, a 15-year-old school student, has been taken on for a week's work experience. She is helping Anna, an experienced medicines sales assistant, to restock the shelves behind the medicines counter and on the open display medicines stand.
Millie says: "Anna, I don't understand this. You've got the same medicines in different places. Why don't you put them all together, it would be much more sensible?"
"How do you mean?" Anna asks.
"Well, for example, you've got packets of 16 ibuprofen tablets out here where customers can help themselves and packs of up to 96 behind the counter. Also, you've only got the 200mg ones out here, but 200mg and 400mg behind the counter. And it's similar with paracetamol. And all the tablets with codeine in are behind the counter. Why don't you get them all out here, it would make it much more convenient for customers and I'm sure you'd sell much more that way?"
Anna is about to explain when Millie continues. "And I don't understand the letters some of these medicines have on the packs. All the ones behind the counter have got a P in a little box on, but none on the open shelves have. Some on the open shelves have CE on but there are none on the ones behind the counter, and some out here have no letter on at all. What does it all mean?"
Millie is about to go on when Anna says: "If you'll let me get a word in edgeways, I'll explain."
Questions
1. Why are different sizes and strengths of OTC medicines kept in different places?
2. Why have some medicines got a P on, some a CE and others nothing at all? What is the difference between them?
Answers
1. Under a law called the Medicines Act, medicines are put into different groups for safety reasons. Some medicines, including larger packs and higher strengths of ibuprofen and paracetamol tablets, can be bought without prescription but are restricted for sale only under the supervision of a pharmacist. These are called pharmacy (P) medicines – customers are not allowed to self-select them so they are kept on shelves and in drawers out of their reach. Sales of some P medicines can be delegated to trained medicines sales assistants who are following rules set out in SOPs. Some smaller packs of medicines are considered safe enough for sale without pharmacist supervision, can be self-selected and can be sold from any retail outlet. They are called general sale list medicines (GSL).
2. Pharmacy medicines must have a P in a box on the label or packet. GSL medicines have no distinguishing letter. A CE mark is put onto products called medical devices. These cover a whole range of products including dressings, contact lens solutions and pregnancy testing kits and, increasingly, products that in many cases seem indistinguishable from medicines. Examples include some head lice treatments and sodium chloride nose drops. The CE mark means that they have been officially approved as safe and effective.
