GAO third drug class report finds little evidence to support pharmacy-only nonprescription drugs.

Executive Summary

THIRD CLASS OF DRUGS NOT SUPPORTED BY AVAILABLE EVIDENCE, GAO STUDY released Aug. 24 concludes. The General Accounting Office conducted an assessment of "the evidence for creating an additional class of drugs in the U.S. that would not be for sale outside pharmacies but would be available without a physician's prescription" at the request of Rep. Dingell (D-Mich.) in 1992. The report concludes that "little evidence supports the establishment of a pharmacy or pharmacist class of drugs in the U.S. at this time."