Rx-to-OTC Switch Movement
Pauline Vaillancourt Rosenau · Medical Care Review · 1994
The recent trend toward switching medications previ-ously available only with a prescription (Rx)1 to over-the-counter status (OTC)2 is little studied but of substantial importance for medical care. During the 1980s, more than 200 drugs were switched from Rx to OTC (Segal 1991, 8).3 The Nonprescription Drug Manufacturers Association (NDMA) estimates that more than 400 OTC products now use ingredi-ents or dosages that were available only by prescription 15 years ago ’(NDMA 1991). The total retail market value of switched drugs is about 4 billion dollars.4 4 The medications that are being made available upon demand are not just those that &dquo;relieve symptoms of minor, self-limiting conditions.&dquo; They include medications of substantial importance that &dquo;prevent dis-eases&dquo; and &dquo;manage chronic conditions&dquo; (Young 1988, 6).5 Future switches are likely to continue in this direction. For example, Shering Plough Health Care will apply to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to sell oral contraceptives over the counter (Angier 1993). Neither are the financial dimensions of the Rx-to-OTC switch trivial. Switched Address correspondence and requests for reprints to Pauline Vaillancourt Rosenau, Ph.D.,