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Abstract

Patients often approach a pharmacist instead of visiting a doctor for minor ailments such as cough, cold, allergies, pain, fever, acidity, diarrhea, and skin-related conditions. Purchase of specific medicines over the counter is legally recognized in most countries. 'Over-the-Counter (OTC) Medicines' means drugs which are legally allowed to be sold by pharmacists without need for a prescription. The term does not have a legal definition in India. Technically, drugs are OTC unless they are specifically stated as prescription only drugs. OTC drugs allow faster and cheaper access to healthcare; however, their misuse and adverse health effects cause concerns. This article describes concept of OTC medicines and practices in India against the background of globally prevalent regulations and practices. A recognized category of OTC medicines by law, patient awareness programs, and support of pharmacists and pharmaceutical companies are required to optimize the use of OTC medicines in India.

Item Type:	Article
Authors/Creators:	Marathe, PA and Kamat, SK and Tripathi, RK and Raut, SB and Khatri, NP
Keywords:	drugs and cosmetics act, nonprescription drugs, over-the-counter, self-medications
Journal or Publication Title:	Journal of Postgraduate Medicine
Publisher:	Wolters Kluwer - Medknow Publications and Media Pvt. Ltd.
ISSN:	0022-3859
DOI / ID Number:	10.4103/jpgm.JPGM_381_19
Copyright Information:	Copyright 2020 Journal of Postgraduate Medicine. Licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International (CC BY-NC-SA 4.0) https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/
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