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Medicine legal classification — GPhC CRA MCQ

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HardPharmacy LawMedicine legal classificationGPhC CRA

A patient asks to buy codeine/paracetamol for severe dental pain and specifically requests tablets containing codeine 30 mg with paracetamol 500 mg. Which legal and practice response is correct?

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Correct answer: A — Do not sell it: the 30 mg/500 mg strength is POM; assess and signpost

Only the lowest co-codamol strength, 8 mg/500 mg, is available for pharmacy sale; 30 mg/500 mg is prescription-only. Schedule 5 status does not itself authorise an OTC sale or require a community CD-register entry. Pack limits, identity checks and the presence of paracetamol cannot convert the higher strength into P or GSL classification.

Reference: NHS: how and when to take co-codamol for adults. https://www.nhs.uk/medicines/co-codamol-for-adults/how-and-when-to-take-co-codamol-for-adults/ Human Medicines Regulations 2012. https://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2012/1916/pdfs/uksi_20121916_en.pdf