Practice Notice - Good Dispensing Policy: Methotrexate

The Pharmacy Act 2007 emphasises the important role of both the supervising and superintendent pharmacists, and provides for an appropriate mechanism of management and accountability in the supply of health and pharmaceutical care, and medicinal products to patients. This notice suggests specific points in relation to the safe management of the dispensing of oral methotrexate. Click to view the notice in full.


Practice Notice - Good Management Procedures: High Tech Scheme

The management of the supply in a retail pharmacy business, of medicinal products under the High Tech scheme warrants specific and particular care. In the management of dispensing activity, the supervising and superintendent pharmacists must ensure that clear, structured management procedures and policies are in place. Click to view the notice in full.

Practice Notice - Prescriptions for CD2 drugs

The Pharmaceutical Society of Ireland wishes to remind pharmacists of the necessity to be cognisant of and adhere to the provisions of the Misuse of Drugs Regulations 1988-2007, and in particular of the controls in place on products having significant abuse and misuse potential, i.e. substances listed in Schedule 2 of the Misuse of Drugs Regulations, of all formulation types.

When presented with a prescription for such a product, the pharmacist must ensure that the practitioner issuing the prescription/requisition is entitled and authorised to do so. If a situation occurs where a prescription/requisition is presented in an area outside of what would be expected to be the normal catchment area of that medical practice or practitioner, it is advised that the Medical Council register of medical practitioners be consulted to ensure that the practitioner is currently registered, and has not been removed from the register either on a voluntary or involuntary basis. The Medical Council register is available online at www.medicalcouncil.ie. The pharmacist must be satisfied that the practitioner is registered.
 
Schedule 2 controlled drugs should only be supplied on foot of a valid prescription or requisition and the pharmacist should satisfy themselves that the prescription or requisition is valid and appropriate. Pharmacists are reminded in particular of the provisions under Article 14 (f), relating to the supply of controlled drugs, where supply should not be made “unless he is satisfied as to the identity of the person for whose treatment the prescription is issued and, in the case of the supply being made to a representative of the said person, unless he is satisfied that the said representative is a bona fide representative of the said person”.

For prescriptions, the practitioner issuing the prescription must be entitled and authorised to do so. The pharmacist must ensure that the person presenting it is either the patient named in the prescription or his representative; the pharmacist must satisfy himself that he can correctly interpret the prescription and can safely and properly dispense what is prescribed, and having exercised due diligence and care, satisfy himself that it is safe and in the best interests of the patient concerned to dispense the prescription.

For requisitions, the practitioner requesting the supply must be entitled and authorised to do so and the pharmacist must be satisfied as to the reason specified by the practitioner which necessitates and authorises the supply.


Practice Notice - Repeat Dispensing of CD2 and CD3

It has come to the attention of the Pharmaceutical Society of Ireland, the pharmacy regulator, that the provisions of the Misuse of Drugs Regulations 1988, in respect of the repeating of Schedule 2 and 3 controlled drugs, may currently be subject to certain misinterpretations in practice. The following clarification is issued to remove any ambiguity which may exist in this respect.

The repeat dispensing of a Schedule 2 or Schedule 3 controlled drug is not facilitated by these regulations, irrespective of any written direction on a prescription to do so. Specific prescription writing requirements apply which necessitate that either the total quantity of the drug or preparation or the number of dosage units to be supplied must be indicated in the prescriber’s own handwriting in both figures and words. A pharmacist dispensing a prescription for a CD2 or CD3 drug must ensure that it conforms to this requirement and that the prescription is retained at the pharmacy practice from where it was dispensed. Once a pharmacist dispenses any quantity of a CD2 or CD3 preparation the prescription authorising such supply must be retained.
 
Provision is made for the supply of a medicinal preparation in instalments – this facilitates the controlled supply of a potent medicinal product if the practitioner deems this to be appropriate. In the case of a prescription for a total quantity intended to be dispensed by instalments, instructions must be specified which detail the total quantity of product, the quantity to be dispensed at each instalment, the number of instalments and the intervals between instalments to be observed when dispensing. In this instance the prescription must be retained at the original pharmacy where the first instalment is supplied and the patient must return to this pharmacy practice.  

Any further queries in respect of this matter may be addressed by post to the offices of the Society at 18 Shrewsbury Road, Ballsbridge, Dublin 4 or by e-mail to info@pharmaceuticalsociety.ie