ABSTRACT
Pharmaceutical agents required by law to be prescribed to patients are called prescription drugs. However, over the years there have been an escalating number of products available to treat various ailments for which a written prescription is not necessary. This latter group of compounds is termed over-the-counter (OTC) drugs. The OTC drugs are believed to be relatively safe and effective in the view of the general public simply because the regulatory agencies allow these drugs to be sold without medical advice. It is the popular belief that if a drug needs to be prescribed then it must be regulated, as there are inherent adverse effects. However, the public does not know that many of these OTC products have not undergone extensive clinical testing and may not be safe. Although it may be laudable to treat serious illnesses and make available the compounds that are prescribed and required for these purposes, one must question the trend toward easy access of an uneducated public to more OTC drugs that are self-administered and have not undergone proper testing.
