The sale of medications containing paracetamol and dexamethasone will be temporarily restricted in Finland in order to ensure adequate supply of the drugs if the coronavirus situation worsens in the country, according to the ministry of social affairs and health.
Sales restrictions of the medications - both of which are used to treat Covid-19 in different situations - were to begin immediately and remain in place until January 15, 2021, the ministry said on Tuesday.
Paracetamol is an over-the-counter medication used to treat pain and fever. The anti-inflammatory drug dexamethasone is commonly prescribed to treat symptoms of arthritis but has also been successfully used to treat critically-ill Covid-19 patients, according to the World Health Organization.
The ministry said pharmacies should limit single-customer purchases of the drugs in amounts equivalent to a maximum of three months of use.
The ministry said that the medications were currently in good supply, but that the purchase limits were put in place to ensure adequate availability of the drugs in the event that the coronavirus situation worsens in the country.
The ministry's call for restricting the sale of the medications were made possible by a pharmaceuticals law amendment that went into force in June which enabled the ministry to temporarily restrict sales of medications.