Painkillers could be taken off shelves under proposal
Painkillers may not be available from convenience stores if the government adopts a list of recommendations made by the drug review committee, which published its final report yesterday.
All retail outlets would need a licence to sell even non-controlled drugs, such as Panadol and vitamin tablets. under one of the 75 recommendations made by the review committee. A drug safety office with 100 staff also would be set up to oversee all drug-related issues.
The committee said that while non-controlled drugs did not pose as great a health risk as prescription drugs or supervised drugs, they could cause problems if not handled properly.
'The Review Committee notes that retailers of pharmaceutical products classified as 'non-poisons' are not subject to any licensing control. Consequently, there are no means to know their exact number and whereabouts,' the report said.
Common drugs such as Panadol are sold in more than 3,000 retail outlets throughout Hong Kong.
Wellcome supermarkets' marketing director Diane Chiu Man said any policy change should not have a big impact on the chain as drugs sales represented a 'small proportion' of the business.
A spokesman for 7-Eleven said the group would closely monitor the situation but could not comment further as the policy was still being drafted.
Meanwhile, under the review all Hong Kong drug makers would be required to meet standards under the international Pharmaceutical Inspection Co-operation Scheme within four to eight years. They would be expected to attain the World Health Organisation's 2007 standard in two years, a government official said.
The official said a series of blunders earlier this year has led to the department increasing the number of inspections of drugs producers.
The term 'poison', which covers about 8,800 prescription drugs and 2,300 drugs that must be sold in the presence of a pharmacist, also is planned to be replaced by the terms 'prescription drugs' and 'drugs to be supervised' to avoid suggesting the product was hazardous to health.
Greater co-operation has also been called for between the Department of Health and Customs, with plans including a team of pharmacists being on duty at border checkpoints to assist customs officers in identifying substances which may be illegal drugs.
