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Countdown announced today that stores nationwide will limit the sale of acetaminophen and items containing acetaminophen to one package per customer.
The measure follows the findings published by coroner David Robinson on the death of Alannah Lee Spankie (20), who died of acute liver failure in June 2017.
The University of Otago science student had taken a large amount of acetaminophen before her roommates found her unconscious three days later.
Robinson ruled that Spankie did not intend to kill himself.
He recommended that a limit be introduced on acetaminophen products to help reduce the risk of overdose.
In New Zealand, supermarkets can legally sell acetaminophen without any limit on the number of packs that people can buy at one time.
Countdown’s chief pharmacist, Jeremy Armes, said Countdown had been looking into the problem and how it could help make selling the nation’s most popular drug safer.
“Acetaminophen is an incredibly useful and effective drug, but as with all drugs, it must also be respected and treated with care,” he said.
“When a customer wants to buy large amounts of acetaminophen or items containing acetaminophen, we believe it is best to sell it in a pharmacy setting where a pharmacist can discuss the proper use of acetaminophen and the risks one by one.
“There is no doubt that mental health awareness, education and good medical support will make the biggest difference for Kiwis with mental illness. However, there are also significant and sometimes tragic consequences of overdose, whether accidental or intentional. Everything we can do to reduce this risk is important. ”
About three million acetaminophen prescriptions are written and more than 50 million tablets are used per year at Aotearoa.
