Pharmacists' Group Backs Paracetamol Sales Advice

The head of a pharmacists' group said on Monday that it is reasonable for the government to suggest a limit on how many painkillers people can buy in one go.

Stocks of paracetamol have been low recently and the government said last week that selling 60 of the pills at a time to each customer is a reasonable amount.

The president of the Society of Hospital Pharmacists, William Chui, agreed with the authorities that 60 tablets is about the maximum adult dosage of paracetamol for a week, and said people should see a doctor if their fever or pain doesn't subside after several days.

"If you have a fever for three days, or a mild pain that doesn't go away a week or ten days after taking paracetamol, you should see a doctor. So 60 pills are enough," he said on an RTHK programme.

Chui noted that people could buy 60 tablets at one pharmacy and another 60 somewhere else, saying it's a matter of "self-discipline".

He said if there's a need for further controls, the authorities could make paracetamol a prescription-only drug, but that would be very troublesome for the public.

Speaking on the same programme, Cheung Tak-wing from the Hong Kong General Chamber of Pharmacy said demand for painkillers has gradually come down, and there has not been a rush of mainlanders snapping up the medication after the further reopening of the border on January 8.

He said his trade doesn't want to see the sale of painkillers regulated through new laws, arguing that such a move would lead people to think there's a genuine shortage and cause panic-buying.