Availability of over-the-counter drugs for arthritis in Sao Paulo, Brazil.

Seventy pharmacies located in Sao Paulo were randomly selected and visited. Seven researchers posed as ordinary clients presenting with a standardized complaint of symptoms according to a scenario previously defined. The client asked for medicines to relieve his/her pain or discomfort. After the seller's suggestion the client asked for 2 drugs randomly selected from a drug list containing 30 trademarked drugs commonly prescribed to arthritis patients. These drugs should be available only on prescription. In only 12.8% of the pharmacies did the seller initially suggest the client see a physician. The sellers "prescribed' non-steroid anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAID), vitamins, analgesics (AN) and corticosteroids (CO) in respectively 42.8, 20.0, 14.3 and 5.7% of the visits. From the drug list, the client secured 67.7% of the NSAID, 65.0% of the CO and 20.0% of the sedatives without presenting a prescription. Pharmacy sellers usually comply with the clients demands. Future studies should aim at the evaluation of interventions to reduce the availability of the over-the-counter drugs for arthritis.