The Royal Australian College of General Practitioners (RACGP) has called on state health ministers to resist temptations to water down codeine regulations and to instead implement an approach that will protect Australian patients.
RACGP President Dr Bastian Seidel encouraged the state health ministers to call upon the RACGP, other healthcare organisations, and consumer groups for advice and support.
“Patient safety must be the priority for our state health ministers as they consider their approach to codeine regulations,” Dr Seidel said.
“The evidence is clear. Codeine is dangerous and the current situation is leading to severe health outcomes,” Dr Seidel said.
“What we need now is strong leadership from our state health ministers and an approach to codeine safety measures that first and foremost put patients first.
“The decisions made by the states on codeine must be the right ones. We need to see policy and decision making driven by evidence, not by industry interest.
Dr Seidel said codeine is an unpredictable drug and its use needs to be monitored by a GP.
“People don’t realise that codeine is metabolised into morphine, and no one would think to have morphine available over the counter,” Dr Seidel said.
“I call on each state health minister to seriously consider how they approach this matter.
“Codeine products must not be available over the counter without a script.”
Dr Seidel said while there is no doubt we need effective pain relief, the evidence shows that codeine is not a good form of pain relief, particularly long term.
“There are many alternatives that provide just as much pain relief in a much safer way,” Dr Seidel said.
“The RACGP and numerous other medical, pharmaceutical and consumer organisations, besides the Pharmacy Guild and the PSA have provided comprehensive advice on these alternatives to state governments and urged them not to bow to pressure from some pharmacy owners.”