Paracetamol packet sizes to shrink under TGA ruling

The maximum size of paracetamol packs that can be purchased in supermarkets and convenience stores will shrink from 20 to 16 tablets while packet sizes of the popular painkiller on pharmacy shelves will halve, from 100 to 50 tablets.

Packs of up to 100 paracetamol tablets will still be available but only under the supervision of a pharmacist – meaning they’ll be displayed behind the counter where prescriptions are processed – under a new ruling from the Therapeutic Goods Administration to reduce the harm from intentional paracetamol overdoses.

The changes come into effect in February 2025 and will apply to pain relief products that contain paracetamol as the only active ingredient, such as Panadol, as well as cold and flu tablets that contain paracetamol along with other active ingredients.

All paracetamol capsules and tablets will also have to come in blister packs, and the TGA will encourage retailers such as supermarkets to restrict sales to one packet at a time.

But there will be no strict limit on the number of packs that can be purchased in one go. The TGA has also decided against restricting the age of the person who can purchase paracetamol or forcing sales to be behind the counter in supermarkets.

The medicine regulator’s final decision was announced on Wednesday after it considered an independent expert report into incidences of serious injury and death from intentional paracetamol overdoses, as well as submissions from two rounds of public consultations.

It began probing changes to paracetamol rules after healthcare professionals raised concerns about the number of deliberate overdoses involving the popular painkiller.

The TGA’s statement on Wednesday said 225 people are hospitalised and 50 Australians die from paracetamol overdose every year, with the highest rates of intentional overdose among teenagers and young adults.