More than two million transactions involving over-the-counter (OTC) medicines containing codeine have been recorded by pharmacists using the Pharmacy Guild’s new MedsASSIST system, the Guild says.

The Guild began building and piloting the new system last year in advance of moves by the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) to reschedule OTC codeine-containing medications such as painkillers and cold and flu remedies to Schedule 4, or prescription only.