Pseudoephedrine ban not the answer

October 8, 2009
MEDIA STATEMENT

Pseudoephedrine ban not the answer

The New Zealand Self-Medication Industry (NZSMI), the industry body representing non-prescription consumer healthcare products, said today that it was extremely disappointed in the Government’s decision to ban over-the-counter sales of cold tablets that contain pseudoephedrine.

“This is an extreme measure that is unjustified and unnecessary. We don’t believe the Government has seriously considered the implications and inconvenience this move will cause to thousands of New Zealanders. Most importantly, we don’t believe a ban will solve the growing methamphetamine or P drug problem, and people are fooling themselves if they think the solution is that simple,” says NZSMI executive director, Mr Tim Roper.

Mr Roper says there are better ways to solve the P problem than banning over-the-counter sales of cold tablets that contain pseudoephedrine.

“Pseudoephedrine-based medications are perfectly safe and effective when used as directed. If you ban over-the-counter pseudoephedrine sales in pharmacies it will not solve the P manufacturing problem,” says NZSMI executive director, Mr Tim Roper.

“This decision is a dangerous precedent. What other effective medications will Government ban because they could be used by criminals? People need the best medications to stay well and to work or go to school. If they have to spend time and money getting prescriptions for cold and flu medicines it could seriously impact on the country’s productivity at a time it can ill-afford it,” he comments.

“Government will regret this move when medical professionals are besieged by people wanting prescriptions for an effective cold or flu medicine,” he says.

Mr Roper says the vast majority of illicit product used to manufacture P is imported illegally so the best solution is tighter border controls. And we applaud the Government’s move in this direction.

He says his organisation promoted introducing Project Stop to control access to pseudoephedrine-based medications in pharmacies rather than banning over-the-counter sales of the product altogether.

“Project Stop is software that monitors purchasing data in live time. It has already proven successful in significantly reducing the problem in Queensland and has now been mandated for installation in every pharmacy in that state,” says Mr Roper.

He says a ban on pharmaceutical products containing pseudoephedrine risks serious disadvantage to thousands of New Zealanders with no assurance the move will curtail the spread of illegal drugs.

“People who prefer pseudoephedrine-based medication will now not be able to get the cold or flu remedy of their choice conveniently,” he comments.

ENDS

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