Water for injections restrictions to be eased
Needle exchange scheme workers, including pharmacists acting outside a patient group direction, will soon be able to supply ampoules of water for injections to drug addicts.
The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency has started consulting
on a proposal to change
the law so that people who work for needle exchange
schemes and other legitimate drug treatment services can supply the product
without breaking the law.
Currently, the Medicines Act 1968 restricts all medicines intended for
parenteral use to prescription control. As such, water for injections
can only be supplied from pharmacies by, or under the supervision of,
a pharmacist after prescription by a practitioner, or by pharmacists
and other health professionals acting under a patient group direction.
Until last year, the supply of items associated with drug abuse — described
as paraphernalia — was an offence under the Misuse of Drugs Act
1971 (PJ, 12 July 2003, p37). Last year, the supply of paraphernalia
was decriminalised under the Misuse of Drugs Act, but water for injections
remains controlled under the Medicines Act.
It is now proposed that this situation be rectified by amending the Prescription
Only Medicines (Human Use) Order 1997 and related orders.
The plan is that supplies will be restricted to packs of 10 ampoules
of no more than 2ml each. Consultation closes on 11 January 2005. |
The
Pharmaceutical Journal
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