Tuesday, September 1, 2026

1:00 PM - 2:00 PM

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Details

Lunch break symposium supported by Reckitt Chair(s) TBC Introduction: Upper respiratory infections (URIs) remain one of the most common reasons for healthcare visits, yet clinical management is often driven by symptom presentation rather than an understanding of the underlying inflammatory cascade. This gap can lead to suboptimal treatment decisions, including the unnecessary use of antibiotics in predominantly viral conditions. A structured, mechanism informed approach combined with effective patient guidance is key to improving care. Pharmacists are well positioned to support appropriate product selection and empower patients to self-manage common, self-limiting conditions, helping to improve outcomes while reducing avoidable healthcare utilisation and system burden. This session will equip pharmacists with a practical framework to link URI symptom drivers to targeted evidence-based management strategies. Emphasis will be placed on aligning symptom clusters with appropriate pharmacologic options, including multi-symptom OTC therapies and longer acting formulations, alongside effective patient counselling to optimise outcomes. Programme: Learning objectives: 1. Appy mechanism-based understanding of URI inflammatory pathways to support pharmacist-led recommendations for evidence-based symptomatic relief and self-care. 2. Evaluate and optimise selection of multi-symptom OTC therapies, including extended- release formulations, based on pharmacology, symptom presentation, and safety considerations. 3. Implement counselling strategies that reduce unnecessary antibiotic use by aligning patient expectations with evidence-based management of self-limiting viral respiratory infections. Take home messages: Upper respiratory infections involve interconnected inflammatory pathways and symptom mechanisms; mechanism-based, multi-symptom OTC therapies paired with effective patient counselling can improve sustained symptom relief, support appropriate self-care, reduce unnecessary antibiotic use and help alleviate avoidable strain on healthcare resources.