Codeine to require a script from 2018

Patients will need a prescription for products containing codeine from February 2018.

Tablets fall from a jar of medication in Sydney, September 17, 2008. (AAP Image/Melanie Foster) NO ARCHIVING, EDITORIAL USE ONLY Source: AAP

Medicines containing codeine will require a prescription from 2018 amid ongoing concerns about overuse and abuse of the pain killer.

 After receiving numerous submissions on the proposal, the Therapeutic Goods Administration has decided products with codeine will no longer be available over the counter.

 The Therapeutic Goods Administration said its decision was based on the evidence of harm caused by overuse and abuse of over-the-counter codeine medicines, which are only available with a prescription in the US, most of Europe, Hong Kong, Japan and the UAE.

 The change will begin on February 1, 2018.