Over-the-counter medicines

Abstract

Patients often approach a pharmacist instead of visiting a doctor for minor ailments such as cough, cold, allergies, pain, fever, acidity, diarrhea, and skin-related conditions. Purchase of specific medicines over the counter is legally recognized in most countries. 'Over-the-Counter (OTC) Medicines' means drugs which are legally allowed to be sold by pharmacists without need for a prescription. The term does not have a legal definition in India. Technically, drugs are OTC unless they are specifically stated as prescription only drugs. OTC drugs allow faster and cheaper access to healthcare; however, their misuse and adverse health effects cause concerns. This article describes concept of OTC medicines and practices in India against the background of globally prevalent regulations and practices. A recognized category of OTC medicines by law, patient awareness programs, and support of pharmacists and pharmaceutical companies are required to optimize the use of OTC medicines in India.

Variety of Drugs Sold Without Prescription for Commonly Presenting Complaints in Rural and Urban Pharmacies of Faisalabad District

“…This shows the concern of people living in urban areas seeking health care services. People living in urban areas are more literate, and the urban population is more affluent [19] . However, a significant proportion of people living in rural areas are illiterate and practice superstitions.…”

“…Policies on dispensing and consumption of over the counter drugs vary globally. In Europen nations, only pharmacies distribute over the counter drugs, but in the United stated, over-the-counter drugs are sold on general retail outlets [19] . In Pakistan, a significant surge in the consumption of over-thecounter drug sales has raised alarming concerns to the local governing bodies [20] .…”

Metagenomic Survey Reveals More Diverse and Abundant Antibiotic Resistance Genes in Municipal Wastewater Than Hospital Wastewater

“…Since India is one of the largest human antibiotic-consuming countries ( Klein et al, 2018 ), it may have a potentially severe situation in antibiotic resistance. Furthermore, although hospital wastewater reportedly harbors high levels of clinically relevant ARGs ( Fouz et al, 2020 ), the situation might be worse in Indian communities because of a higher prevalence of self-medication that tends to use antibiotics inappropriately ( Marathe et al, 2020 ). Thus far, a few studies using PCR techniques for ARG quantification reported higher load or prevalence of ARGs in hospital wastewater than in municipal wastewater in India ( Lamba et al, 2017 ; Kumar et al, 2020 ).…”

Self-Medication Practice and the Attitude Towards Medical and Pharmaceutical Care

“…The potential risks identified as a result of self-medication practices are delays in going to the doctor, incorrect self-diagnosis, incorrect choice of appropriate medication, therapy, incorrect dosage and administration of the drug, and the danger of interaction with other drugs, diagnosis or occurrence of certain cases of drug addiction or abuse [2]. The incriminating factors that contribute to the practice of self-medication are the inability to access quality medical services, medical fees, lack of time, fear of the doctor or lack of trust in the doctor, as well as insufficient health education [6][7][8]. Recent research shows that another factor that contributes to and maintains the practice of self-medication is the release of over-the-counter (OTC) drugs [8][9][10].…”