The Way Ahead For Self-Medication: AESGP Conf

From Paternalism to Autonomy was the subject of the 33rd annual meetingof the European Propriety Medicines Manufacturers' Association, held in Budapest, Hungary, this month. The conference was kicked off by AESGP president Hugues Lanrezac, who told delegates that it was not enough just to make medicines available without prescription; it is necessary to ensure that consumers are made aware of the availability.

Political recognition is a good basis for self-medication, according to Mr Lanrezac, but we have to change the rules and reduce differences in legislation among the European countries. Guidelines on classification have now been accepted, but the over-the-counter drugs industry still needs changes on the use of universal brand names, he said.

Regulatory authorities, he stressed, have to be convinced that products switching from prescription-only status to OTC need to retain the same brand names. This was an issue also taken up by Hans Regenauer, vice president of Spain's OTC drugmakers' association, the ANEFP.