Patients often approach a pharmacist instead of visiting a doctor for minor ailments such as cough, cold, allergies, pain, fever, acidity, diarrhea, and skin-related conditions. Purchase of specific medicines over the counter is legally recognized in most countries. 'Over-the-Counter (OTC) Medicines' means drugs which are legally allowed to be sold by pharmacists without need for a prescription. The term does not have a legal definition in India. Technically, drugs are OTC unless they are specifically stated as prescription only drugs. OTC drugs allow faster and cheaper access to healthcare; however, their misuse and adverse health effects cause concerns. This article describes concept of OTC medicines and practices in India against the background of globally prevalent regulations and practices. A recognized category of OTC medicines by law, patient awareness programs, and support of pharmacists and pharmaceutical companies are required to optimize the use of OTC medicines in India.

Introduction: Primary open angle glaucoma (POAG) treatment is characterized by long-duration therapy, prescription variability, and non-adherence. Patient awareness toward drug treatment is crucial to ensure adherence. The present study was planned to evaluate drug treatment awareness, patient-perceived drug adherence, and prescription patterns in POAG patients. Methodology: This was a cross-sectional, single-center, questionnaire-based study conducted in the ophthalmology out patient department of a tertiary care hospital from April 2020 to November 2021. Patients of either gender, aged 40–70 years, with a confirmed diagnosis of POAG, who had records of POAG medications for at least last 3 months and who provided written informed consent, were included. Prescription details were recorded, and subsequently, patients were administered a pre-validated drug treatment awareness (14 items) questionnaire, a self-reported medication adherence (9-item) questionnaire, and then they performed eye drop instillation in a simulated setting. Results: The total number of patients enrolled was 180, which yielded 200 prescriptions. The mean drug treatment awareness score was 8.18 ± 3.30, and 135 (75%) patients scored more than 50% (≥7/14). Similarly, 159 patients (83.33%) had scored >50% (i.e. >5/9), with a mean score of 6.30 ± 1.70 in the medication treatment adherence questionnaire. The mean eye drop instillation performance score was 7.18 ± 1.20. The 200 POAG prescriptions containing 306 drugs were analyzed, with beta blockers (184/200, 92%) and timolol (168/200, 84% encounters) being the highest prescribed classes/drugs. Conclusion: POAG patients did have adequate treatment awareness with good self-reported medication adherence and performance of eye drop instillation technique. Around 25% patients lacked awareness; hence, reinforcement education programs on medication regimens need to be implemented.