New edition of MEP is aimed at technicians as well as pharmacists
 The Royal Pharmaceutical Society's ‘Medicines, ethics and practice’ guide has been expanded to provide information aimed at pharmacy technicians as well as pharmacists.
Retitled ‘Medicines,
ethics and practice: a guide for pharmacists and pharmacy technicians’,
the 30th edition includes a new section containing the Code of Ethics
for Pharmacy Technicians.
Other major changes to the content of the guide arise from new legal
or ethical requirements introduced since publication of the 29th edition
last year. Among these are the recent changes to the law affecting the
supply of Controlled Drugs, for which publication of the new edition
was delayed.
Other changes in Section 1 of the guide, which covers general legal requirements,
include new information in Section 1.2 (Medicines for human use) relating
to the prescribing of prescription-only medicines, the classes of person
who can request emergency supply of prescription-only medicines, the
sale or supply of medicines by optometrists, the labelling of medicinal
products and the handling of waste medicines.
Section 1.3, the alphabetical guide to the legal classification of medicines
for human use, has been subjected to a fundamental review as well as
being updated to reflect changes over the past year. Owners of the guide
should note that cumulative lists of amendments to this list will continue
to be published in The Journal in the first issue of each month. The
legal status of a medicinal product can be obtained by consulting first
the latest list of amendments and then the current edition of the guide.
The guide’s Section 1.7, which was formerly headed “Methylated
spirits”, has been rewritten to reflect changes in terminology
and is now headed “Denatured alcohol”.
There have also been substantial revisions to Section 1.8, which covers
legal controls on veterinary drugs, and Section 1.9, the alphabetical
list of medicines for veterinary use.
In Section 2 of the guide, which contains the Code of Ethics and Professional
Standards for Pharmacists, the only change is the addition of a new Service
Specification 24, concerned with pharmacist prescribers, which was approved
by the Society’s Council last year (PJ, 13 August 2005, p201).
Following inclusion of the Code of Ethics for Pharmacy Technicians as
a new Section 3, the practice guidance section has been renumbered as
Section 4. Now headed “Improving pharmacy practice”, it includes
new information relating to pharmacist prescribing.
‘Medicines, ethics and practice’ is published by the Society
as a day-to-day reference source. Copies of the new edition are being
sent
free of charge to all practising and non-practising pharmacists and to
registered pharmacy technicians. Copies are also being sent to preregistration
trainees and, in bulk, to all UK schools of pharmacy.
Additional copies of the guide are available for purchase from the Pharmaceutical
Press, c/o Turpin Distribution, Stratton Business Park, Pegasus Drive,
Biggleswade, Bedfordshire SG18 8TQ (tel 01767 604971; fax 01767 601640;
e-mail rps@turpin-distribution.com).
Copies can also be ordered online from the Pharmaceutical Press website
(www.pharmpress.com)
The guide costs £14.95, excluding postage and packing.
Some of the information provided in ‘Medicines, ethics and practice’ is
updated between editions. Updates can be checked on the Society’s
website (www.rpsgb.org).
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