Key Summary
- GPhC has urged the pharmacy owners, pharmacists and pharmacy technicians to make sure there are safeguards to prevent the diversion of medicines
- The pharmacies must have proper procedures and trained staff to identify different risks associated with patient addresses while supplying medicines at a distance
- It raised concerns regarding medicines supplied on private prescriptions overseas by UK pharmacies, including countries in which they are not legally allowed
The GPhC has reached out to pharmacists, pharmacy technicians and pharmacy owners to express its concern over certain issues, including thefts, and suggested remedial measures to ensure patient safety.
GPhC’s Chief Pharmacy Officer, Roz Gittins, has stated in an email that they had recently investigated the diversion of medicines from registered pharmacies, where medicines have been ordered and stolen by members of staff.
He urged the pharmacy owners, pharmacists and pharmacy technicians to make sure there are appropriate arrangements for the management of medicines, and deploy safeguards to prevent diversion.
Another concern raised was regarding pharmacy owners and pharmacy teams supplying medicines at a distance.
It has advised keeping proper procedures in place, and trained staff to identify different risks associated with patient addresses.
This includes checking if the address appears to be for a hospital or other setting in which people may be receiving inpatient or other residential care, or, for example, if the same address is used for multiple orders under different names.
GPhC cited an instance of an online pharmacy sending medicines via post to a hospital, addressed to an inpatient.
It also raised concerns regarding medicines supplied on private prescriptions overseas by UK pharmacies.
They include countries in which they are not legally allowed, and medicines arriving in an unsafe condition.
GPhC advised the pharmacies and their teams to undertake the relevant checks concerning the applicable laws of the country they are sending medicines.
The regulator said it had recently issued a joint enforcement notice with the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) and the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) to tackle advertisements for prescription-only medicines by pharmacies that don’t comply with legislation and standards.
The ASA recently issued rulings against pharmacies that promoted prescription-only medicines (POMs) for weight management.
These rulings make clear that all injectable forms of weight-management medication are POMs and can’t be advertised, even where ads don’t explicitly name a medicine, the regulator pointed out.
