RESUMEN
In 1990 paediatric formulations of antimotility drugs were deregistered in Pakistan. Although preliminary research data suggests the incidence of paralytic ileus in children suffering from acute diarrhoea has fallen, cases continue to be recorded. A small-scale survey conducted in 1993 to assess the effectiveness of the regulatory intervention conclusively proved that while the deregistered products had been successfully withdrawn from the overwhelming majority of retail outlets, blackmarketing of a paediatric antimotility drug was taking place in one city. The results also indicated that throughout the country the deregistered formulations were being substituted by other irrational therapies, including the misuse of adult formulations. As a regulatory intervention, therefore, deregistration needs to be accompanied by efforts to change patient attitudes and physician prescribing habits.
Asunto(s)
Antidiarreicos/provisión & distribución , Países en Desarrollo , Diarrea/tratamiento farmacológico , Control de Medicamentos y Narcóticos/legislación & jurisprudencia , Mal Uso de los Servicios de Salud/legislación & jurisprudencia , Adulto , Antidiarreicos/efectos adversos , Antidiarreicos/uso terapéutico , Niño , Preescolar , Estudios Transversales , Diarrea/epidemiología , Femenino , Estudios de Seguimiento , Humanos , Incidencia , Lactante , Seudoobstrucción Intestinal/inducido químicamente , Seudoobstrucción Intestinal/epidemiología , Loperamida/efectos adversos , Loperamida/provisión & distribución , Loperamida/uso terapéutico , Masculino , Pakistán/epidemiologíaRESUMEN
Recent years have seen suggestions that legislation restricting certain drugs to prescription-only availability should be relaxed. This paper estimates the economic benefits of such changes, with specific reference to two drugs recently switched in the United Kingdom: Ioperamide and 1% topical hydrocortisone. The findings suggest that making these products available from the pharmacy without a prescription has resulted in substantial benefits by reducing costs to consumers and saving general practitioners' time. In view of these benefits, the disadvantages of such changes should be evaluated.
