Argentine health professionals warn of risks from over-the-counter drug sales

Medical and pharmaceutical professionals in Argentina are warning against the risks associated with the increasing sale and consumption of over-the-counter (OTC) medications. The Colegio de Médicos de la Provincia de Buenos Aires has expressed concern regarding national government policies aimed at deflexibilizing access to drugs, noting that this trend, combined with aggressive advertising, encourages self-medication.

Health professionals emphasize that no medication is entirely harmless and that the absence of a prescription does not eliminate health risks. Specific dangers cited include accidental overdoses caused by combining different products that contain the same active ingredients, such as paracetamol, which can lead to severe liver damage.

Similarly, María Elena Sarmiento, president of the Colegio de Farmacéuticos, warned that the availability of OTC drugs is rising while prescription medication sales decrease. She cautioned that the term ‘over-the-counter’ is often confused with ‘free consumption’ without professional guidance. Sarmiento also noted that economic factors are driving patients to purchase fewer prescribed medications due to high costs, treating medicine more as a consumer commodity than a social good.