The Pharmacy Guild will shut down the MedsASSIST system it built to monitor over-the-counter combination analgesics containing codeine on January 31, the day before the products are officially upscheduled to prescription only.

The guild initially decided in March last year to discontinue the system after losing the battle to keep codeine-containing medicines on pharmacy shelves, but reversed its decision a day later following the intervention of federal Health Minister Greg Hunt.