Safety and Efficacy of Non-Prescription (Otc) Analgesics and Nsaids

The availability of analgesics and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) sold over the counter (OTC) to the public without prescription has become an issue of major concern in recent years. The problem has been highlighted in the UK, USA and other countries because of the continuing high rates of cases of poisoning and the concern over the switch for many NSAIDs from prescription-only status to OTC sale, brought about, in large part, by governments and health maintenance organisations (especially in the USA) anxious to save on the costs of these drugs. This Symposium, held at the South San Francisco Conference Center (USA) on March 17, 1997, enabled leading authorities from around the world to come together and discuss the central issues concerning the safety and efficacy of OTC analgesics and NSAIDs at what was a timely period, for the reasons outlined above. The conference opened with a series of presentations on the central themes - overall safety evaluation and assessment of the current status, the clinico-epidemiological evidence of adverse drug reactions from different drugs, pharmacokinetic and pharmacotoxicological mechanisms, and the expanding use of the drugs for pain and other states. Particular interest was addressed to the potential for NSAIDs to be used prophylactically to prevent certain chronic inflammatory/degenerative diseases (e.g. Alzheimer's and related dementias, colon cancer). The extensive debate which followed the formal presentations, summarized in the book, was exciting for enabling the core issues to be examined and assessed by experts who have been at the cutting edge of regulatory, medical and scientific evaluations of OTC analgesics/NSAIDs. Audience: General physicians, rheumatologists, pharmacologists, health policy makers.