2017 HCHB_digital

OTC Products
Over-the-counter products guide
The Over-The-Counter Products Guide is a unique reference guide for health professionals. It provides easily accessible information about nonprescription
medicines available over the counter (OTC) at pharmacies, supermarkets and some clinics.
The guide includes information such as the active ingredients and approved indication of each OTC medicine, contraindications and
precautions for use, adverse effects and recommended dosage.
The OTC Products Guide aims to help identify what non-prescription medicines patients are already taking, avoid duplication of ingredients
and drug interactions, and promote safer use of medicines.
Photographed products may help patients identify products they are taking when they can’t recall the brand name.
Price bands for each product give an indication of the price the patient can expect to pay.
Each product lists the appropriate medicine classification, which defines the availability of the product in terms of health legislation for
over-the counter medicines, Pharmacist Only Medicine, Pharmacy Only Medicine and General Sale.
How to use the OTC products guide
The OTC Products Guide is divided into main therapeutic categories, with associated sub-categories. For example, the category Pain has subcategories
– headache, joint pain, migraine, muscular pain, neuropathic pain, period pain and toothache.
Products appear by alphabetical order of brand name
Medicine classifications are defined below:
General Sale products may be available through other retail outlets, as well as pharmacies.
Pharmacy Only Medicines are available for sale only through pharmacies.
Pharmacist Only Medicines are products that can be sold only by the pharmacist. The sale must be appropriately documented and the
medicines must not be available for self-selection.
Note: In certain circumstances, some medicines may now be sold through special clinics. For example, nicotine-containing smoking
cessation products may be sold from smoking cessation clinics run by registered nurses, psychologists, pharmacists or doctors.
An index of products (by alphabetical order) and participating pharmaceutical companies is available at the back of the OTC Products
Guide, starting on page 270.
Page 216 HEALTHCARE HANDBOOK 2017-2018 OTC Products