Drugs that are available without a doctor’s prescription; also called over- the-counter (OTC) drugs. OTC drugs tend to be medications that relieve minor symptoms at doses that are effective and safe. Nonprescription drugs are relatively inexpensive. Sixty percent of the medications purchased in the United States are nonprescription drugs.
Over the counter (OTC) drugs are pharmaceutical substances that are obtainable without a physician’s prescription, or are deemed unnecessary by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for such authorization.