Convenience or negligence – Should convenience stores sell medicines

Health Bureau plans to open up non-prescription drugs – cold, stomach and diarrhea medicine - for sale in convenience stores has come up against strong criticism from pharmacist associations who point to the clear labeling on the top of the medicines, “Use as directed by a medical practitioner”. Pharmacist associations insist that with medicines sold unrestricted without professional instruction it is impossible to guarantee safety.

So called, non-prescription medicines include common cold remedies and pain relief tablets as well as nasal remedies, stomach remedies, medicine for diarrhea and insect repellants – with such a huge cross-spectrum just how can one differentiate? As long as the top is labeled “Use as directed by a medical practitioner”, it is considered a non-prescription medicine. This issue of openly selling non-prescription drugs seems set to cast a net of confusion over all parties involved, and is sure to give rise to a wave of conflicting opinions.

Convenience or negligence – Should convenience stores sell medicines (by CJ Hua)

URL:

http://www.peopo.org/portal.php?op=viewPost&articleId=97147

(以下是中文對照)

方便VS隨便　超商藥不藥？ ( 黃郁淇 )

衛生署想要開放「非處方藥」，未來能在超商買到，像是感冒藥、胃藥、止瀉藥等，引起藥師公會強烈反彈，因為上頭明明就標示「醫師藥師指示藥品」，跟一般成藥不同，藥師公會認為，沒有專業人員諮詢，「指示藥品」隨處可買，民眾用藥安全誰能擔保？所謂非處方藥，包含一般的感冒藥跟止痛錠，另外還有像治療鼻子的藥品，以及胃藥、止瀉藥，甚至是蚊蟲軟膏等，到底要如何辨別？只要上頭寫著「醫師藥師指示藥品」，就是非處方藥，指示藥品跟成藥將在超商混著賣，沒有專業人員諮詢，引起各方議論紛紛，這一場「超商藥不藥」的大戰，恐怕將掀起一陣波瀾。

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