Self-care medicines – immediate relief at lower cost
Responsible self-medication provides relief and improves the quality of life when the medical problem does not require a doctor's attention. The use of self-care medicines tends to save society’s costs.
Self-care medicines are
- medicinal products that can be bought without a prescription
- research-based and safe basic medicines, mostly with a long history on the market, with rare and surprising adverse effects
- available only at pharmacies, except for nicotine replacement products.
In 2009, the sales of self-care medicines were about 12% of the total, or 128 million euro at wholesale prices. The authorities do not regulate the self-care medicine prices, which are determined by the competitive market.
Responsible self-care gives patients freedom of choice
Self-care medicines improve the quality of life when the medication starts without delay. Through their advice and instructions, the pharmacy personnel ensure that the accepted clinical practice guidelines are followed.
Self-medication means lower costs incurred by employers and society for the treatment of the disease or symptom. The savings are created by fewer doctor’s appointments and prescriptions for medicines entitling the patients to reimbursements. Finns who rely on self-care medicines spend less on prescription medicines.
Attention to medicine category switches
In several EU countries, even fairly new prescription medicines have been switched to the self-care medicine category. Such products include cholesterol reducers and antimigraine medicines.
The EU countries should harmonise their self-care practices and policies on the availability of self-care medicines. Self-care medicines should also become more accessible in Finland. The
Finnish Medicines Agency and the
European Medicines Agency EMA decide on whether a medicine belongs to the prescription-only or self-care category.
Finland should develop a procedure to assess the suitability of medicines in self-care use. For example, pharmaceutical substances that have been widely prescribed by general practitioners over the past ten years could be considered for their suitability for self-medication. A positive evaluation would open up the way to switch applications.
Certain self-care medicines can only be sold accompanied by guidance and instructions by the pharmacy personnel. The guidance obligation should be highlighted when the switches are being considered.
PIF’s operative focuses in 2012
There should be a self-care medicine programme to define practical means to ensure the safety of self-medication. The programme should also contain principles of switching suitable prescription-only medicines to self-care medicine category.
- We participate in the development of self-medication.
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