coproxamol

[mhb08112]

Well if we endorse it Distalgesic - we get it sent back saying it won't be paid.

So, technically co-proxamol is only available privately in Scotland.

[Sir_Dispensalot]

don't endorese it distalgesic then! just put the manufacturer and the price!

[DavidS]

I notice in the PJ (27.06.09 p 760) that:

Suicide rates from co-proxamol have not moved across to other analgesics.

It looks like there were over 50 accidental deaths annually that were Co-prox. related.

The EU have put a europe-wide withdrawal of the drug on the agenda. (Can't find that in the same article, but have read it today somewhere!)

[bobbin]

I notice in the PJ (27.06.09 p 760) that:

Suicide rates from co-proxamol have not moved across to other analgesics.

It looks like there were over 50 accidental deaths annually that were Co-prox. related.

The EU have put a europe-wide withdrawal of the drug on the agenda. (Can't find that in the same article, but have read it today somewhere!)

I read it in the PJ. The licenses for dextropropoxyphene-containing products will be withdrawn throughout Europe but this will not happen immediately. This doesn't affect the UK because the licenses for co-proxamol products have already been withdrawn.

Co-proxamol will continue to be available in the UK as a unlicensed product (Distalgesic manufactured by Meda).

[bobbin]

Well if we endorse it Distalgesic - we get it sent back saying it won't be paid.

So, technically co-proxamol is only available privately in Scotland.

Co-proxamol *is* available on the NHS in Scotland. As shown below by Community Pharmacy Scotland, you need to endorse the invoice price in order to get paid correctly.

Part 7 :: Community Pharmacy Scotland

In England, there is no need to endorse the invoice price. The only thing you need to endorse is the out-of-pocket expenses (if you have been charged a handling fee or carriage).

[tengreenbottles]

So, tell me again. Wheres the proof that co-proxamol is any more dangerous than any other prescription pain killer?

Ive read the debate here with interest and it does seem strange that even chemists dont actually seem to all know / agree about the status of Co-Proxamol.

Bottom line is millions of people accross the world take it and they are not trowing themselves off cliffs! The restriction / ban in the UK is a nonsense and has been done to help cover up a murder of a high profile civil servant

A forum has been set up, dedicated to this issue and to hopefully getting this crazy situation sorted. Its got a familiar URL : www.co-proxamol.com

[JonF]

A forum has been set up, dedicated to this issue and to hopefully getting this crazy situation sorted. Its got a familiar URL : www.co-proxamol.com

The grammar and spelling on the website's front page is terrible. If it is to be taken seriously that needs sorting quickly.

[tengreenbottles]

The grammar and spelling on the website's front page is terrible. If it is to be taken seriously that needs sorting quickly.

Hadn't noticed - but send email to the admin with your comments if you feel it may help.

[DavidS]

A forum has been set up, dedicated to this issue and to hopefully getting this crazy situation sorted.

I've been across there and invited the members to view our various opinions here.

[Jeff]

So, tell me again. Wheres the proof that co-proxamol is any more dangerous than any other prescription pain killer?

Have you already looked at

Effect of withdrawal of co-proxamol on prescribing and deaths from drug poisoning in England and Wales: time series analysis -- Hawton et al. 338: b2270 -- BMJ

Suicides haven't transferred successfully to other analgesics - though they might be throwing themselves off cliffs or under trains.

I'm with you about replacements for co-proxamol not always being as effective

Co-proxamol: where have all the patients gone? -- Ottewell and Walker 47 (3): 375 -- Rheumatology

But the political decision was made that a target was a reduction in suicides - to this end the means of suicide have been curtailed. (It's cheaper and easier than looking at the reasons which drive a person to suicide)

To add insult to injury -
The European Medicines Agency (EMEA) has announced their
recommendation to withdraw the marketing authorisations for
dextropropoxyphene-containing medicines (including co-proxamol) across
the European Union (EU). This recommendation was made after the
Committee on Medicinal Products for Human Use (CHMP) concluded that
the risks, particularly of potentially fatal overdose, were greater
than the medicine’s benefits. The EMEA’s recommendation has been
forwarded to the European Commission (EC) for a decision which will be
legally binding across the EU. In the UK, the only medicine affected
by the EMEA's announcement is co-proxamol.

News Centre : MHRA

Jeff