The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission has granted interim authorisation* to a code aimed at preventing common cold and cough medicines being obtained by backyard laboratories for the manufacture of amphetamines or ‘speed’.
"The problem of backyard manufacture of speed using commonly available cold and flu decongestants is a growing problem in Australia", ACCC Chairman, Professor Allan Fels said today.
"This Code is one of a raft of measures currently being implemented by governments, law enforcement agencies and the self medication industry to address this problem".
The Code has been developed by the Australian Self-Medication Industry whose members supply 98 per cent of all non-prescription pseudoephedrine-containing medicines sold in Australia. The Code requires suppliers of these products to monitor and report to law enforcement agencies all sales of stocks to pharmacies so that trends and patterns in sales can be traced. Suppliers will also be required to limit pack sizes and promotional activities and support pharmacies in holding minimum stock weights of pseudoephedrine-containing products. The initiatives proposed under the Code will also assist pharmacies in safely and securely managing their stocks of these products to minimise the potential for stock to be stolen.
The ACCC has already received a number of submissions in support of the Code from law enforcement agencies and government health departments. The ACCC will be consulting widely with these agencies before reaching a final decision.
Interim authorisation allows the parties to engage in the conduct while the ACCC considers the merits of the substantive application. A decision to grant interim authorisation does not mean that the ACCC will necessarily grant final authorisation.