Codeine linctus reclassified as prescription-only in UK

Excerpt

Codeine linctus (oral solution) is to be reclassified as a prescription-only medicine in the UK following public consultation, advises the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Authority (MHRA) in Drug Safety Update .Codeine linctus is to be reclassified from a pharmacy-only (P) medicine to a prescription-only medicine (POM) to reduce the risk of drug dependence, addiction and overdose.Healthcare professionals are advised that codeine linctus is only authorised for the treatment of dry cough, and is only considered to be effective in the treatment of chronic cough lasting over 8 weeks. They are encouraged to read the Summary of Product Characteristics for special warnings and contraindications for use of codeine linctus, especially in patients with a history of substance abuse, and should encourage patients to read the Patient Information leaflet.Recent safety information has revealed that codeine linctus is being used recreationally for its opioid effects, noted the MHRA. This carries a serious risk of addiction and overdose which can be fatal, they said. Concerns have been raised over the use of codeine linctus as an ingredient in recreational drinks known as Purple Drank, Lean, Sizzurp and Dirty Sprite; as codeine linctus is used in varying amounts in these drinks, consumers may not be aware of how much they are taking, and this can result in serious health risks such as loss of consciousness, respiratory suppression and death, which are further increased with concomitant use of alcohol, sedatives or other medicines.Following the results of the public consultation and the further advice of the Commission on Human Medicines, codeine linctus will no longer be supplied without a prescription from a qualified healthcare professional, as a risk minimisation measure to prevent recreational use and to enable the identification of people who may have become unintentionally addicted to codeine.All market authorisation holders of codeine linctus are updating their product licences to reflect the change to POM, and will then implement changes to their product information within 3 months. To avoid any `stockpiling', all existing codeine linctus stock should now be treated as POM, said the MHRA. …