Dan Neville
Ceist:380 Mr. Neville asked the Minister for Health and Children the position regarding control of the sale of paracetamol products. [26198/01]
Vol. 543 No. 2
380 Mr. Neville asked the Minister for Health and Children the position regarding control of the sale of paracetamol products. [26198/01]
The Medicinal Products (Control of Paracetamol) Regulations, 2001, were made by me on 12 April 2001 and came into force on 1 October 2001. The regulations were made on the recommendations of the National Drugs Advisory Board and its successor, the Irish Medicines Board, and impose further restrictions on the sale of medicinal products containing paracetamol.
In general, the regulations prescribe the maximum pack sizes for products when sold in pharmacies and non-pharmacies and cautionary and warning statements which must appear on all packs, prohibit the sale of paracetamol products in automatic vending machines and in non-pharmacy outlets when a second analgesic component is present, prohibit the sale of multiple packs of paracetamol in the course of a single transaction, and prohibit the sale of paracetamol products unless they are in blister packs or in other such equivalent form of packaging as may be specified in the relevant product authorisations. Exemptions are provided in the case of prescription medicines and medicines intended for export.
The Irish Medicines Board gave particular consideration to the sale of medicinal products containing paracetamol in non-pharmacy outlets and recommended that, "Emergency supplies of paracetamol as single ingredient preparations only should be available in non-pharmacy outlets with the following restrictions: The maximum pack size will be restricted to a total of 12 x 500mg tablets or the equivalent amount of paracetamol, packaged in single unit dose packs for adult use and 60ml (125mg/5ml) for liquid paediatric formulations. Only one pack should be supplied on each occasion of purchase."