Medicine company bids to get pseudoephedrine out from behind pharmacy counters
Pharmaceutical company Reckitt Benckiser has applied to move pseudoephedrine from behind pharmacy counters to open shelves in New Zealand. The company argues that the drug is no longer a primary precursor for methamphetamine production and that easier access would benefit consumers and reduce pharmacist workload.
Why it matters
This represents a significant shift in drug policy, reversing previous restrictions intended to curb methamphetamine production and highlighting the evolving nature of illicit drug manufacturing.
A pharmaceutical company wants the cold and flu drug pseudoephedrine out from behind the counter and back on pharmacy shelves.
Reckitt Benckiser has put in an application with drug regulator Medsafe to make the medicine easier to purchase.
The medicine - a precursor for manufacturing methamphetamine or P - was no longer a threat in its retail form because criminal gangs imported their raw ingredients in bulk, Reckitt said in its application.
Currently, pseudoephedrine was available as a restricted medicine from pharmacies, meaning it was not stocked on open shelves.
People who wanted to buy it must instead ask a pharmacist who would decide if it was suitable for them before providing it.
Under the new proposal, small packets of the pill form, effectively one day's worth, would be available for people to select themselves, alongside medicines like panadol and ibuprofen.
It would still only be sold in pharmacies.
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