Supply of medicinal products to optometrists
Pharmacists are reminded of the legislative requirements for supply to
optometrists/ophthalmic opticians.
Legislation allows optometrists to sell or supply certain medicinal products
provided it is in the course of their professional practice, and in an
emergency. This exemption applies to all medicinal products on a general
sale list, all pharmacy medicines and certain prescription-only medicines
as listed in ‘Medicines, ethics and practice: a guide for pharmacists’ (Number
27, July 2003, p14).
The legislation allows the sale or supply of certain medicinal products
by a pharmacist from a registered retail pharmacy on the receipt of an
order signed by a registered optometrist. The signed order allows the
pharmacist to make a supply directly to a patient under the care of an
optometrist. It is not, however, a prescription, as a prescription is
an authority to supply prescription-only medicines issued by an appropriate
practitioner, and an optometrist does not come under this definition.
In making such a supply, pharmacists must ensure that they comply with
the professional requirements of the Code of Ethics, in that the product
supplied must be labelled accordingly, a patient information leaflet
must be provided and the sale or supply must be recorded in the prescription
record book. The pharmacist must also be satisfied that the optometrist
has provided sufficient information and advice to enable safe and effective
use and has made a follow-up appointment where necessary.
Any business, including an optometrist business, that is conducted in
premises that can be closed to exclude the public may sell or supply
general sales list medicines provided that they are supplied as fully
licensed packs (ie, prepared by a manufacturer). |
