The use of the ProjectSTOP real-time electronic recording program for tracking pseudoephedrine sales from community pharmacies in WA has seen a steady decline in total requests for products containing pseudoephedrine, and when combined with other restrictions, could help inform the control of other medicines with potential for abuse, such as over-the-counter (OTC) codeine, a new study shows.
The study by Curtin University researchers, published last week in the journal Substance Abuse Treatment, Prevention and Policy, found that the voluntary introduction of ProjectSTOP in 2007, which was then made mandatory in 2010, saw a small but steady decline in the total requests for pseudoephedrine per month per 100,000 population per pharmacy.
