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The U.K.'s bullish Rx-to-OTC switch environment can make it an attractive place to try a switch before pursuing the EU-wide centralized procedure, which contains more potential pitfalls, experts say. |
But blockbuster switch products are hard to come by in the U.K., some warn.
The nation's pressing need to rein in health care spending has resulted in a push for Rx-to-OTC switches, according to pharma stakeholders.
"In the U.K., we have a very favorable environment for switches," said Helen Darracott, director of legal and regulatory affairs for OTC trade group the Proprietary Association of Great Britain.
"We have an awful lot of high-level political support very keen on expanding access," she said.
Darracott spoke on an industry panel at the Regulatory Affairs Professional Society annual conference in Philadelphia Sept. 16.
Panelists said the U.K. Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency and Department of Health encourage firms to seek nonprescription indications.
By shifting drugs to behind-the-counter pharmacy access, and then potentially further to general sales list status, the U.K. seeks to make self-care more convenient and relieve some of the cost pressures on its National Health Service, Darracott explained. ...
- Dan Schiff
This story excerpt is reprinted from "The Tan Sheet", Sept. 28, 2009. To read the remainder of this story, register for a 30-day free trial to "The Tan Sheet."
