Increasingly, there are moves to make prescription-only medicines available over-the-counter (OTC) in pharmacies in the UK. We recently surveyed our readers about this controversial area.* The survey considered three drugs: simvastatin, which is available over the counter, and trimethoprim and tamsulosin, which are being considered for this status by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA).

Simvastatin 10 mg has been an OTC treatment since 2004. Over 80% of …