Russian government approves sale of 128 over-the-counter medications at post offices
Source: Farmatsevtichesky Vestnik
The Russian government has approved a list of medications that post offices will be allowed to sell, the pharmaceutical news outlet Farmatsevtichesky Vestnik reported.
The list includes 128 medications that are sold over the counter at pharmacies and are among the most commonly used in outpatient care. It covers nine categories:
- Digestive tract and metabolism: drotaverine, lactulose, loperamide, pancreatin, and vitamins, among others
- Cardiovascular system: nitroglycerin, nicotinic acid, heparin sodium, diosmin, and troxerutin
- Dermatology: clotrimazole, terbinafine, dexpanthenol, acyclovir, hydrocortisone, betamethasone, and chlorhexidine
- Genitourinary system and sex hormones: vaginal clotrimazole, an herbal preparation for urological conditions, and saw palmetto fruit extract
- Antimicrobials for systemic use: kagocel, tilorone, umifenovir, and enisamium iodide
- Musculoskeletal system: ibuprofen, naproxen, diclofenac, ketoprofen, and nimesulide
- Nervous system: acetaminophen, acetylsalicylic acid, metamizole sodium, valerian, and motherwort
- Respiratory system: xylometazoline, oxymetazoline, ambroxol, acetylcysteine, bromhexine, cetirizine, and loratadine
- Sensory organs: tetracycline, sulfacetamide, hydrocortisone eye ointment, taurine, and lidocaine combined with phenazone
Post offices will be allowed to sell the medications only after their staff complete a special training course.
Russia’s Health Ministry previously said the plan to sell medications through Russian Post branches was intended to make them available in communities with no medical facilities or pharmacies.
Russian Post has just under 40,000 branches, about 27,000 of them in rural and remote communities.
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