Proposed ban on over-the-counter codeine ruffling feathers in the industry

A plan to ban over-the-counter codeine is facing criticism despite being two years away.

The move, quietly proposed by Medsafe's Medicines Classification Committee (MCC) earlier this year to bring New Zealand into line with Australia, has been called a "knee-jerk reaction" by the New Zealand Self-Medication Industry Association, which represents brands such as Nurofen.

But a former addict has praised the planned ban, saying its easy for addiction to creep up on people.

Executive director Scott Milne said information on the depth of the problem of codeine abuse in New Zealand was "pretty scant" with the MCC blindly following Australia's lead, choosing the "path of least resistance".

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In Australia there had been a surge in those seeking codeine from doctors since over-the-counter medicines were banned in February, Milne said.

But in New Zealand the recommended regulatory change would still allow pharmacists to prescribe codeine.

That could lead to addicts trying to "shock, bully or trick" pharmacists into giving a higher dose instead of settling for the lower doses they could get over the counter, he said.

He said there were systems in place that recorded who was buying the over-the-counter medication as well as "phone trees" where pharmacies would ring neighbouring businesses if a known addict was trying to buy the medication.

Instead of a ban, he proposed rolling out a nation-wide monitoring system jointly funded by Government and industry that would give an idea of how many people were using or abusing codeine.

However, former codeine addict Alyse Watson, who has lived with chronic pain since a mountain biking accident in 2015, believed restricting codeine was a wise move.

Watson began buying over-the-counter codeine products shortly after her accident, in addition to prescribed pain medication, but realised after three months she had developed a dependency.

Her experience made her believe the drug shouldn't be available over-the-counter.

"I don't agree with people being on codeine for a long time, I think it causes a lot more problems than it fixes ... and if it's over-the-counter that's an option for people."

Addiction Services clinical psychiatrist Sam McBride said it was good news the product may soon be off shelves. He recalled a client who had abused over-the-counter codeine medication so regularly she had to have part of her bowel removed.

"It's an easily accessible product and that can make it a bit of a gateway product because it can be people's first exposure to opioids."

A Kāpiti Coast pharmacist who did not want to be named, said although he could see if someone had purchased codeine at another branch of the pharmacy he worked for, the measure didn't always stop him from selling to people he suspected had a problem.

"It's really awkward and sometimes you just don't know, but you think they might have a problem and I've sold to people in those situations."

Pharmacy Council chair Mark Bedford said the regulatory change would not change the fact that codeine was being over-prescribed generally.

The proposed changes are set to come into effect in January 2020, however Ministry of Health compliance manager Derek Fitzgerald said Medsafe was seeking expert advice on any barriers to implementation, the safety of the proposed changes and any potential legal barriers.

The organisation would also seek feedback from the public and other interested parties.