Under medicines legislation, general sale list (GSL) medicines (i.e. those that may be purchased from ordinary retail outlets such as supermarkets) may be sold or supplied from a vending machine.
This is subject to the requirements that the products are pre-packed and the machine is situated in premises which the occupier can lock so as to exclude the public. This means that a machine cannot be sited in the open.
Medicines sold or supplied from a vending machine must also comply with any legal restrictions on pack sizes. Medicines we are asked about most frequently and to which these restrictions apply are aspirin and paracetamol. Products containing these substances (up to a maximum strength of 325mg for aspirin and 500mg for paracetamol) are classed as GSL medicines provided they are presented for sale in a package or container which does not exceed 16 tablets (paracetamol and aspirin).
The sale or supply of more than 100 tablets at any one time is restricted to prescription control. Therefore, the operator of a vending machine which allowed an individual to pay for and obtain more than 100 tablets in a single transaction would be in breach of the law.
Aspirin preparations are not recommended for children under the age of 16 years because of an association with Reye's syndrome. Although the sale of medicines to children is not specifically addressed in legislation, operators of vending machines which may be accessed by children might wish to consider whether it should be made clear on the machines that aspirin is only suitable for adults.
Relevant Legislation
Article 3 General Sale List Order 1984
Regulation 4 of the Sale or Supply (Miscellaneous Provisions) Regulations 1980
Contact for further information
For further information on this part of our site, please contact our Sale and Supply section, MHRA, 151 Buckingham Palace Road, Victoria, London, SW1W 9SZ, telephone 020 3080 6392 or email the MHRA Central Enquiry Point
