PAGB, the Proprietary Association of Great Britain, a trade association that represents manufacturers of over-the-counter (OTC) medicines, medical devices, and food supplements in the UK, is pleased to support the announcement by the Government’s Department of Health and Social Care, which outlines a new list of conditions and categories for reclassification of over-the-counter medicines.
This move supports the widening of access to medicines by allowing more treatments to be available over-the-counter, for categories including pain management, sleep, skin conditions, oral health, allergic rhinitis, and women’s health concerns. Removing prescription-only restrictions on certain medicines can allow patients to quickly access necessary medicines in a rapid and convenient way without having to visit their GP, while enabling pharmacists to support self-care. A 5% reduction in NHS prescribing levels and spending could save the NHS £1.4 billion annually. PAGB’s recent survey found that 74% of UK adults believe more medicines should be available OTC.
Reclassification is the process by which medicines change categories. Medicines can be reclassified from available by prescription only, to available in a pharmacy or over-the-counter (OTC). Widening access to medicines by removing prescription-only restrictions on certain medicines can mean patients can access more of the medicines they need in a rapid and convenient way without having to visit their GP. It can also give pharmacists the tools they need to support patients in self-care for common conditions.
Conditions
The announcement by the DHSC has seen a number of categories identified as suitable for reclassification, which include:
- Short-term sleep aids
- Oral health
- Pain management
- Allergic rhinitis
- Skin conditions, such as acne, eczema, and psoriasis
- Women’s health conditions, such as heavy periods, menorrhagia, intimate fungal skin infections
PAGB says that this is a groundbreaking opportunity for OTC manufacturers to widen their portfolios and deliver new products to meet consumers’ needs. With more reclassification submissions across these categories and conditions being encouraged by the MHRA, consumer confidence to self-care could increase as patients exercise more autonomy and choice with their treatments to quickly relieve their ailments. In a recent survey published by PAGB, 74% of adults in the UK agreed that more medicines should be available OTC1.
The work to identify these new conditions and categories suitable for reclassification has been driven by the Reclassification Alliance – a reinstated Government initiative chaired by the MHRA, with workstreams considering various aspects of reclassification to understand where improvements or changes could be made to best serve patients.
Collaboration
PAGB, the consumer healthcare association, coordinated the reestablishment of the Reclassification Alliance, in collaboration with the MHRA and DHSC—the first meeting taking place in September 2023. PAGB CEO, Michelle Riddalls OBE, chaired the Conditions and Categories working group, collaborating with key pharmacy and industry bodies to explore suitable categories where medicines could be reclassified to widen access treatments for certain conditions and indications. Membership of the working group includes the National Pharmacy Association (NPA), Royal Pharmaceutical Society (RPS), the Company Chemists Association (CCA) and Community Pharmacy England (CPE), with input from chief pharmacists and the MHRA.
Michelle Riddalls OBE, CEO at PAGB, the consumer healthcare association, said: “In the past 42 years, since the first medicines reclassification, the UK has come a long way in improving access to medicines and medical devices. The announcement by the DHSC on these new conditions and categories identified for reclassification is an important and significant step in the right direction to renew our efforts and ambition to remain a world leader in reclassification and self-care.
“To fully unlock the potential of OTCs, we must evaluate the status quo and identify new opportunities presented by advances in digital technologies and innovative ways of working within pharmacies. Widening access to medicines through reclassification forms a key pillar in the work that we are doing to build a sustainable healthcare service fit for the future and realise the full potential of self-care. It is also in line with the Government’s ambitions to move to community and pharmacy fronted healthcare which empowers patients to treat their self-treatable conditions at home.
“Beyond the benefits to the individual, it is also estimated that if future reclassifications reduced NHS prescribing levels and spending by just 5%, it could save the NHS £1.4 billion per year in prescription and appointment costs2. There is more that can be done to help achieve this, but it is clear that this new announcement could have a very real and positive impact on creating a supportive self-care environment.”
References
1 PAGB. The Self-Care Census. 24 July 2024
2 Frontier economics. The economic impact of over-the-counter products in the UK. 12 July 2023.
