NPA will offer chlamydia screening package to facilitate proposed azithromycin switch
Plans to offer pharmacists a chlamydia screening service package have been unveiled by the National Pharmacy Association.
The package will help pharmacists meet criteria required to supply azithromycin
when it is switched from a prescription only to a pharmacy medicine.
Under the switch proposals, only individuals with a positive NAAT (nucleic
acid amplification test) result will be able to purchase azithromycin
from a pharmacy and pharmacists will need linked IT technology to confirm
test results.
Michelle Styles, NPA head of information services, said: “The reclassification
of an antibiotic is [significant] for the profession and although customer
numbers may be small for this product, it gives pharmacy the opportunity
to manage an antibiotic medicine — a major step forward for the
P category. However, unlike other POM to P switches there will be a number
of criteria that community pharmacists will need to meet before the supply
of azithromycin is allowed.”
Raj Nutan, NPA pharmacy business manager, added: “We are actively
engaging with the licence holder to ensure we offer a solution that will
allow all pharmacists to supply azithromycin. We will ensure that an
IT infrastructure and accredited NAAT testing process is available for
all members who wish to supply azithromycin.
“Even before the switch, our service package will allow members
to offer the testing service privately to customers or as part of a service
to
a primary care organisation.”
The NPA says that full details of the service package will be available
soon.
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