From over‐the‐counter to prescription only: early results of the rescheduling of codeine combination analgesics

Abstract

2 Schaffer AL, Cairns R, Brown J, et al. Changes in pharmaceutical sales to pharmacies after codeine was rescheduled a prescription only medicine. Med J Aust 2020; 212: 321-327. 3 Harris K, Jiang A, Knoeckel R, Isoardi KZ. Rescheduling codeine-containing analgesics reduced codeine-related hospital presentations. Med J Aust 2020; 212: 328. 4 Degenhardt L, Gisev N, Cama M, et al. The extent and correlates of community-based pharmaceutical opioid utilisation in Australia. Pharmacoepidemiol Drug Saf 2016; 25: 521-538. 5 Annabel B, Scrymgeour M. Fork handles. Australas J Pharm 2017; 98: 74-75. 6 McAllister WB. The global political economy of scheduling: the international-historical context of the Controlled Substances Act. Drug Alcohol Depend 2014; 76: 3-8. 7 Derry S, Karlin SM, Moore RA. Single dose oral ibuprofen plus codeine for acute postoperative pain in adults. Cochrane Database Syst Rev 2015; CD010107. 8 Daniels SE, Goulder MA, Aspley S, Reader S. A randomised, five-parallelgroup, placebo-controlled trial comparing the efficacy and tolerability of analgesic combinations including a novel single-tablet combination of ibuprofen/paracetamol for postoperative dental pain. Pain 2011; 152: 632-642. 9 Cock V, Edmonds C, Cock C. Complications related to chronic supratherapeutic use of codeine containing compound analgesics in a cohort of patients presenting for codeine withdrawal. Drug Alcohol Rev 2018; 37: 731-737. 10 Frei MY, Nielsen S, Dobbin MDH, Tobin CL. Serious morbidity associated with misuse of over-the-counter codeine-ibuprofen analgesics: a series of 27 cases. Med J Aust 2010; 193: 294-296. https://www.mja.com.au/journ al/2010/193/5/serio us-morbi dity-assoc iated-misuse-over-count er-codei neibupr ofen-analg esics 11 Mill D, Johnson JL, Cock V, et al. Counting the cost of over-the-counter codeine containing analgesic misuse: a retrospective review of hospital admissions over a 5 year period. Drug Alcohol Rev 2018; 37: 247-256.

Over-the-Counter Drug Misuse and Dependence: Public Health Ethics’ Foray into Fight against the Codeine Crisis

“…It was up-scheduled in Australia in 2018 and in some Canadian provinces in recent years. In Australia, after the 2018 up-schedule, there was a 50.8% decrease in poison center calls [ 18 ] and a 53% decrease in hospitalizations [ 19 ], while the use of other dependent drugs did not increase [ 20 ]. Similar trends have been observed in Canada and Ireland [ 21 , 22 ].…”