US | FDA FDA May Ease Rx Drug Sales Agency considers 'behind-the-counter' drug sales by pharmacists By Peter Fearon Posted Oct 4, 2007 5:55 AM CDT Copied Customers arrive and depart a CVS location, in Plymouth, Mass., Tuesday, May 8, 2007. (AP Photo/Steven Senne) (Associated Press) The federal Food and Drug Administration may allow more drugs to be sold by pharmacists without a prescription if they are kept behind the counter off display shelves. The FDA announced a hearing next month to explore the "public health benefit of drugs being available without a prescription but only after intervention by a pharmacist," reports the Wall Street Journal. Australia, Canada, New Zealand and several European countries already have a similar status for some drugs, including certain contraceptives and some drugs that lower cholesterol. Pharmacists determine if a patient meets criteria to obtain a certain drug and instructs consumers on proper use. Read These Next Beyonce leaves national anthem unfinished. Musk says his new party is in business. Kerr County considered a flood warning system years ago. A Texas man's disappearance is fodder for true-crime mania. Report an error