Cough remedies could just dry up

Easy access to throat lozenges, cough medicines and cough drops could be a thing of the past if a new proposal by Medsafe is passed.

The government department has put forward a proposal to reclassify cough and cold medicines so they are only available in pharmacies.

A variety of cough and cold medications is currently available on supermarket shelves in Taranaki.

Medsafe says it is not about making profit, but about patient safety.

The move is supported by the the Pharmacy Guild of New Zealand, which believes the reclassification would significantly increase the safety and effectiveness of treatment for patients suffering from coughs and colds. The proposal comes on the back of recommendations from the Cough and Cold Review Group (CCRG), which says children under six should not take cough and cold medicines because the risks outweigh the benefits.

"This is an issue about patient safety, not the commercial interests of grocery shops," says Annabel Young, chief executive of the pharmacy guild.

"It is of great concern that these medicines are freely available in supermarkets without the professional advice of a trained health professional.

"As access to these medicines is currently unlimited, these medicines are often perceived as safe for everybody which is not the case."

Ms Young says community pharmacists are medicines experts, who are trained to assess the patient's condition and recommend safe and effective treatments without an appointment.

- © Fairfax NZ News