Ingredient lists
Updated lists of nonprescription drug ingredients in a number of countries around the world are available via the Association of the European Self-Medication Industry (AESGP) website at http://www.aesgp.eu/facts-figures/otc-ingredients/.
AESGP-WSMI updated ingredient lists point to increasing switch activity
Cataloguing which ingredients are being approved by regulatory authorities for use without a medical prescription is one of the ways of measuring the development of self-medication around the world. On behalf of the World Self-Medication Industry, AESGP annually updates ingredients lists based on suggestions from national associations. The lists include the legal status of over 200 ingredients widely used in self-medication around the world. Statistics show that this information is among the top items looked at on the AESGP website.
The grouping of ingredients by use or action follows the Anatomical Therapeutic Chemical (ATC) classification system established by the World Health Organization (WHO) – see http://www.whocc.no/atcddd/ – and does not necessarily reflect an ingredient's OTC indication in a given country.