The jailing of a man for producing crystal meth in his home in Peterborough has sparked fresh warnings about the sale of pseudoephedrine and ephedrine-based drugs from pharmacies.
The man received a nine-month sentence from Peterborough Crown Court in November after pleading guilty to manufacturing the class A drug.
Industry insiders have expressed concern to C+D that the case may have involved the use of pharmacy-bought medicines, which can be used to manufacture crystal meth. Police have been unable to confirm whether this is true. But pharmacists have been warned to remain vigilant, as the MHRA could switch the nasal decongestants to POM at any time if a sufficient crystal meth production problem emerges in the UK.
Roger Walker, chair of the Commission on Human Medicine's expert working group on the topic, told C+D: "It's an example of what we don't want to happen and it highlights the need for vigilance." He added that there were no plans currently to switch the drugs from P to POM on the basis of this case. He said: "We would have to see a regular pattern, this is a one-off incident and we hope that it stays as that." The group was set up in September to monitor the situation and ensure measures to control sales of the drugs were working.
Meanwhile Sheila Kelly, executive director of PAGB, said: "It is unfortunate that there was another case, but it is a reminder that we can't be complacent."