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Non-prescription drugs refer to medicines that can be purchased without the need for doctors or other medical professionals to write prescriptions on the premise of ensuring the safety of medications and ensuring the safety of medications. After being stipulated or verified by the national health administrative department, the general public judges themselves according to Drug labels and instructions for use can be used on their own. Over-the-counter drugs are also known as over the counter drugs (OTCs) in the United States. Most of these drugs are used for self-diagnosis and treatment of common diseases such as colds, coughs, indigestion, headaches, and fever. In order to ensure the health of the people, the warning labels on the packaging labels and instructions for use of non-prescription drugs in China clearly state the time and course of drug use, and emphasize that “If the symptoms are not relieved or disappeared, consult a physician”.

Class A and B prescription drugs

Over-the-counter drugs are transformed from prescription drugs and are drugs that have been used for a long time, have been confirmed to be curative, have stable quality, and are safe for non-medical professionals to use. However, in non-prescription medicines, there are more detailed classifications. Class A is the white word on the red background and B is the white word on the green. Although both Type A and Type B otc can be purchased in pharmacies, Type B non-prescription drugs are more secure. In addition to being sold in pharmacies, category B non-prescription drugs can also be sold in supermarkets, hotels, department stores, and so on. However, due to the establishment of a pharmaceutical classification management system in China, Class B over-the-counter drugs are temporarily not implemented and are currently managed under Class A non-prescription drugs. Therefore, taking non-prescription drugs must not be arbitrary, it is best to consult a doctor in advance.

Adverse reaction characteristics

Any drug has toxic side effects, but the degree is different. Over-the-counter drugs are relatively safe and relatively speaking. If the cause is unclear and the condition is unclear, it is better not to use nonprescription drugs. If the drug is not effective or shows signs of worsening of the disease, or even skin rash, itching, high fever, asthma, and other abnormal phenomena, it should be stopped immediately and go to the hospital for treatment.

China's first batch of over-the-counter medicines is 165 varieties in 23 categories and 160 medicines in proprietary Chinese medicines, but each type of medicine contains different dosage forms.

Brands, logos, labels, and phrases with OTC guidance

Internationally, non-prescription drugs have their own unique symbols on brands and logos. For example, brands should try their best to unify their products. At the same time, they should pay attention to continuous innovation to increase their popularity in order to sell in chain stores, and also use brands as measures to protect their products. Markers should clearly distinguish whether the drug is used as a prescription or over-the-counter drug. For example, prescription drugs in the United States must state "Federal Law Prohibits Dispensing Without Prescription" instead of prescription drugs. "Adequate Direction for use", the United Kingdom, Germany, Japan and other countries have similar words or logos. The inspection should be written in a language that can be understood by normal people and even illustrated so that consumers can correctly use non-prescription drugs with labels. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has proposed seven items for non-prescription drug labeling: (1) product name; (2) name and address of manufacturer, packer, or distributor; (3) package contents; (4) all valid Ingredient's INN (International generic generic name) name; (5) Some other components such as ethanol, alkaloids, etc.; (6) Consumer Precautions and Advice; (7) Safe and correct Use proper medication instructions for this medicine.

Therefore, people can generally recognize non-prescription drugs from their brands, logos, labels, and words containing OTC guidance. 

Advertising

All countries in the world that implement a system for the classification of prescription drugs and non-prescription drugs have strictly prescribed that prescription drugs must not be advertised to the public, but their product information is allowed to be disseminated in academic journals of the medical industry. According to our country’s regulations: “Prescription drugs are only allowed to be advertised in professional medical newspapers and newspapers, and non-prescription drugs can be advertised in the mass media.” Other countries have different restrictions on advertising non-prescription drugs to the public, such as the United States, the United Kingdom, Countries such as Germany and New Zealand allow over-the-counter drug advertisements, while non-prescription drugs such as Italy, Spain, and France that allow reimbursement of non-prescription drugs and over-the-counter drugs using the brand of prescription drugs do not allow advertisements. In addition, non-prescription drugs require a certificate of approval for advertising. Recently, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration allowed prescription drugs to be advertised on television, but there must be a phrase “this drug is under the direction of a doctor or pharmacist”.

Pay attention to changes in non-prescription drug catalogs

After the implementation of non-prescription drug regulations is not fixed, every three to five years will be re-evaluation, innovation, survival of the fittest to ensure the effectiveness and safety of OTC. With the development of medical science and technology, a large number of new drugs are on the market, and the understanding of each type of OTC is also deepening. Some prescription drugs are unlikely to become over-the-counter drugs, but may also become OTC after changing the dosage form or decreasing the dosage. It said that those non-prescription drugs with better performance, safety, and effectiveness will be added to eliminate some of the outdated non-prescription drugs. For example, the world's OTC has the following six main categories: antipyretic analgesics, antitussive anti-cold medicines, digestive system drugs, and skin Medications, tonics, vitamins, trace elements, and additives. The following types of drugs may be listed as OTCs after conversion: anti-asthma drugs, oral contraceptives, muscle relaxants, cardiovascular drugs (excluding calcium antagonists) and anti-infective drugs.