USE OF RETAIL PHARMACY FOR COMMON COLD PREPARATIONS IN URBAN HARARE

The study was undertaken to estimate the most commonly utilised over-t he-counter common cold medications in ten randomly sampled retail phar macies in urban Harare. Data was collected prospectively with the aid of a purpose built ad-hoc questionnaire. The results showed that ASAFE N is the most commonly sold tablet formulation of common cold preparat ions and HISTALIX is the most frequently sold liquid dosage form. A re view or the active ingredients in these formulations revealed that som e of them are incorporated in subtherapeutic doses. The efficacy of th ese preparations is debatable. Children in the age group of 6 months t o 10 years used mostly the liquid formulations while adults used both the liquid and solid dosages. Significantly (P<0.05), wore males than females bought common cold preparations.