DATA showing more than 1,600 Australians died as the result of an accidental overdose in 2017, highlights the need to limit the quantities of medicines dispensed at a given time, the Pharmacy Guild of Australia believes.
The Penington Institute Australia's Annual Overdose Report 2019, revealed a 64.3% rise in accidental overdoses between 2001 and 2017, with prescription opioids and benzodiazepines the most commonly misused drugs.
A Guild spokesperson said the rising numbers of unintentional overdoses was "very disturbing".
"That's why prescription medicines are only dispensed under controlled conditions in a pharmacy...to ensure they are properly dispensed and that the patient is appropriately advised on how to take the medicines and of risks," the spokesperson said.
"It is vital that medicines are taken as directed by prescribers and as advised by pharmacists who are medicines experts and can help people avoid overdoses.
"Part of the dispense process includes assessing if the medicine is safe for that patient.
"Pharmacists oppose any proposal to increase the quantities of prescribed medicines supplied on each dispensing occasion.
"The current system of generally providing one month's supply of a medicine strikes a practical balance between patient convenience and minimising the availability of medicines in a patients home, and hence the community.
"When a patient returns to their community pharmacy for a repeat supply of a prescription medicine pharmacists have the opportunity to access patient compliance with the prescribed medicine, and can intervene if confusion or adverse reactions to medicines are identified."
Meanwhile, Johnson & Johnson has been fined US$572 million by the Cleveland County District Court in Oklahoma, for its promotion of opioids in the state, the BBC reported.
The case was the first of close to 2,000 opioid-related lawsuits to go to trial in the state, with Purdue Pharma and Teva Pharmaceutical settling for US$270 million and US$85 million, earlier this year.
Judge Thad Balkman ruled that J&J had "compromised the health and safety of thousands of Oklahomans".
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