Post-marketing management of the use of non-narcotic analgesics

While the use of non-narcotic analgesics is of considerable health benefit to people everywhere, they also represent a health problem. This problem has to do more with the risks associated with individual courses of treatment than with the commonality of those treatments. The public health challenge in post-marketing management of non-narcotic analgesic use, is to promote a pattern of use such that the risks are justifiable by the benefits and are the lowest that can be attained. To achieve such goals it is essential to have scientific knowledge about the benefits and risks and to be able to determine the quality of use in the population as to how proper it is. Current post-marketing management programmes focus largely on regulation, overlooking other equally important basic methods of public health intervention, namely education and service. If it is accepted that mass education is the key element in the proper management of non-narcotic analgesic use, the present emphasis on regulation needs amendment. Such changes will take time, but it is conceivable that ultimately the management goal can be achieved with minimal regulatory intervention.