The National Pharmacy Association (NPA) observed that patients have to wait for weeks to access vital medicines if they are out of stock, because of outdated laws.
In their recent survey of 400 pharmacies, the NPA found that 97 per cent reported that if a medicine is not available, patients had to wait at least a day while the pharmacist tries to get a new prescription from the prescriber.
Sometimes the waiting time extends up to three weeks.
The NPA said that laws under the Medicines Act 1968 stop pharmacists from using safe alternatives when a medicine is out of stock, forcing patients to revert to GPs and burdening the already overstretched pharmacy and GP teams.
The association wants the government to amend the outdated laws that prohibit pharmacists from supplying alternative medicine when a medicine is out of stock.
They pointed out that this restriction is putting patients’ safety at stake by delaying their medication.
During the survey, 95 per cent of respondents said that many patients chose not to go back to their prescriber when their medicines were out of stock.
Unfortunately, this happens when the pharmacies have effective alternative equivalents with them, but do not have the authority to dispense them.
Hence, NPA is urging the government to reform the existing laws by giving pharmacists the authority to prescribe alternative equivalent drugs.
This includes allowing pharmacies to change the strength, formulation or in some cases provide a suitable alternative medicine where there are supply issues, and this is clinically appropriate and equivalent.
"Pharmacists are highly trained medicine experts who already advise GPs on clinically suitable alternative medicines that is available in their pharmacy,” said Olivier Picard, chair of the NPA.
“It is madness to send someone back to their GP to get a prescription changed when a safe alternative is in stock.”
“A lot has changed in 60 years. Medicine shortages are now becoming commonplace, and pharmacists are delivering more clinical care than ever before.”
“We urgently need amended legislation, allowing pharmacists the flexibility to make safe prescription substitutions, where appropriate, when a medicine is unavailable," Picard added.
