Engaging consumers in wise use of over-the-counter medications in Taiwan: Development and evaluation of a structured medication counseling approach.

Objective: To evaluate the impact of a tailored Symptom Allergy Indication Direction Self-care (SAIDS) counseling by pharmacists on consumers' correct understanding of over-the-counter (OTC) medication use.

Methods: This study used a time-based sampling of two independent cohorts at a single community pharmacy in Taiwan for two years beginning in December 2018. In the control cohort, participants received conventional counseling for the OTCs they selected.

Evaluation of use, comprehensibility and clarity of over-the-counter medicine labels: Consumers' perspectives and needs in Taiwan.

An estimate of one third of preventable medication errors occurred annually due to patients' misunderstanding of use instructions. To safeguard consumers' over-the-counter (OTC) medicine use and to develop future initiatives, this study evaluated the use, comprehensibility and clarity of the information labels on OTC packages from consumers' perspectives in Taiwan. This cross-sectional study was conducted at 29 community pharmacies; 50 pharmacy clerkship students helped participant enrolment from June to September 2017.

Kinetic resolution of alpha-lipoic acid via enzymatic differentiation of a remote stereocenter.

Kinetic resolution of alpha-lipoic acid, a case of remote stereocenter discrimination, was accomplished using lipase from Aspergillus oryzae WZ007. Performance of this lipase was investigated for enantioselective esterification of (S)-alpha-lipoic acid, leaving the target product (R)-alpha-lipoic acid in unreacted form. The effects of chain length of alcohol, type of solvent, molar ratio of alcohol:acid, and reaction temperature were studied.