A small independent pharmacy chain in Northern Ireland is funding Ulster University’s research into supporting patients experiencing codeine dependency.
The three-year research project, launched this month, is funded by Northern Pharmacies Ltd and will see researchers from Ulster’s School of Pharmacy investigate how community pharmacists and pharmacy teams can be given “practical tools, training and clearer referral pathways to identify potential dependence” and “help people access appropriate support”.
The full results of the research are expected in August 2029, the university said.
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Northern Pharmacies Ltd has six pharmacies in Northern Ireland, and donates a share of its operating profits to the Northern Pharmacies Ltd Trust Fund (NPLTF), which funds health and research projects to “promote improvements in outcomes for patients’ health”.
The NPLTF’s board of directors said its investment into the university’s research will “help build the evidence needed to improve patient care and demonstrate the important role community pharmacists can play in addressing codeine dependence across Northern Ireland”.
Assessment and referral challenges
The research will look into the challenges community pharmacists face when a patient needs “further assessment or specialist support” for their dependency on over-the-counter (OTC) medicines containing codeine, as well as address “limited or unclear referral pathways”.
According to data from Northern Ireland’s Department of Health, around 10.4m combination painkiller tablets “were obtained by community pharmacies in Northern Ireland in 2024” - a 6.9% increase on the previous year.
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Ulster University said this highlights the “scale of use of these widely available medicines”, adding that the research will help create an approach to tackling the issue that is “practical for pharmacists, acceptable to patients and connected to appropriate health and social care services”.
It also said community pharmacies can provide an “accessible and familiar setting” for patients to discuss medicine use, particularly when they may not recognise their medicine use has “become problematic and seeking help can be difficult”.
“Support without judgement”
Lead researcher and Ulster University clinical pharmacy lecturer Dr Kingston Rajiah said the research is “not about replacing what community pharmacists already do” but understanding “how that role can be better supported”.
“Pharmacists already provide advice, reassurance and support in these situations,” he said. “What can be more difficult is knowing what the next step should be when someone needs additional or specialist help, particularly where established referral pathways are limited.”
He said dependence conversations should be approached “sensitively”, and the research will focus on “providing support without judgement”.
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And pharmacist and researcher Andy Sprinks said he hopes to better understand how to develop “pharmacist-led interventions” from the research, to reduce harm while “maintaining appropriate access to effective pain relief”.
It comes after a GP surgery implemented two new policies on prescribing following the death of a patient with a “documented history of prescription medication misuse and overdose”.
And it follows the launch of a new campaign in Northern Ireland that will see pharmacy teams provide advice and support to people experiencing anxiety.
