Regulation of Controlled Drugs Flashcards
What is the misuse of drugs act 1971?
- Drugs are subject to the control of MDA and list within termed “Controlled Drugs”.
- Divided into Classes A, B and C for establishing the maximum penalty that can be imposed.
- Exceptions provided for under Regulations made under the Act.
What is misuse of drugs (supply to addicts) Regulations 1997?
Doctors needed Home office license to prescribe, administer or supply diamorphine, cocaine or dipipanone for the treatment of addiction or suspected addiction
What is the health act of 2006?
- All designated bodies required to appoint an Accountable Officer
- A duty of collaboration placed on responsible bodies to share intelligence on controlled drug issues
- Have up to date SOPs in place
- Give power to police and other nominated people to enter premises and inspect stocks and records of CDs
What are the rules for the controlled drugs (supervision of management and use) regulations 2006?
- Certain NHS and independent healthcare bodies- accountable officer can improve the safe management and use of CDs
- Bodies can co-operate- sharing of information and concerns and management of CDs
What is the misuse of drugs (safe custody) regulations of 1973?
Imposes controls on the storage of CDs which means that it must be stored in a bolted CD cabinet
What is the misuse of drugs and misuse of drugs (safe custody) (Amendment) regulations 2007?
- Accountable officers: nominate persons or groups to witness destruction of CDs
- Operating department practitioners can now order, possess and supply CDs
- Remove the requirement to maintain a CD register in a prescribed format
- Change the record keeping requirements for CDs
- Reschedule Midazolam from schedule 4 to 3
What is the misuse of drugs regulations 2001?
- Permits the use of CDs in medicine
- Divides CD into 5 schedules:
- being the highest
- lowest level of control
- Updates in 2012 include nurse and pharmacist independent prescribers
- Possession authorities under patient group directions (PGDs)
Describe schedule one?
What are some schedule 1 drugs?
What needs to be held in order to obtain schedule one drugs?
What methods are used for the destruction of schedule two drugs?
How can you only take possession of a schedule one drug?
Example:
1. LSD, ecstasy, mescaline, cannabis
- The majority of drugs in this class have no recognised therapeutic use
- Generally limited to research- must hold a home office license
- Practitioners may not lawfully possess these under license from home office.
- Can only be taken possession of the material except:
- for the purpose of destruction or handing over to the police
- under no circumstances return to schedule 1 drugs to a patient at discharge
Describe schedule two (CD POM)?
What are some schedule 2 drugs?
What are the prescription writing requirements are there?
What is the supply restricted to?
What needs to be recorded?
What methods are used for the destruction of schedule two drugs?
How long is the prescription valid for?
What are the rules for repeat prescribing?
- Includes diamorphine, morphine, methadone, amphetamines, and some barbiturates (and ketamine soon)
- CD prescription requirements apply
- Supply is restricted to licensed wholesalers, practitioners, hospitals and registered pharmacies
- A license is required to import or export
- CD register for supplies and obtained for schedule 2
- Safe custody (except quinalbarbitone) including patient returns
- Destruction- must be authorised
- Prescription is valid for 28 days
- Emergency supplies is NOT allowed
- Repeat prescribing is NOT allowed
Describe a schedule 3 drug and the rules which follow with it?
What are some schedule 2 drugs?
What type of prescription requirements are there?
What do you need to know about the supply?
What needs to be recorded?
What methods are used for the destruction of schedule two drugs?
How long is the prescription valid for?
What are the rules for repeat prescribing?
How long should the invoices be retained for?
- Includes: buprenorphine, midazolam, phenobarbitone and temazepam.
- CD prescription writing requirements
- Exempt from safe custody requirements (except temazepam, buprenorphine and diethylpropion)
- Do not need to record the supply
- There are no requirements relating to destruction
- Subjected to full import and export control
- Script is valid for 28 days
- Repeat prescribing is not permitted
- INVOICES MUST BE RETAINED FOR 2 YEARS
When is emergency supply only allowed for schedule 3 drugs?
Only with phenobarbitone for treatment of epilepsy
Describe Schedule 4 CD drugs and the rules that follow it?
What are the prescription writing requirements?
What do you need to record?
How long is the script valid for?
Who can possess schedule 4 drugs?
Give some examples of schedule 4 drugs?
- Prescription writing as per POM requirements
- Exempt from safe custody and CD entry recording
- Script is valid for 28 days
- Cannot possess without an appropriate prescription
- Possession by practitioners and pharmacists acting in their professional capacities is authorised
- Subjected to full import and export control
- Example of drugs:
Part 1: benzodiazepine drugs and others such as zolpidem
Part 2: anabolic and androgenic steroids including testosterone, clenbuterol and also growth hormones
Describe schedule 5 drugs and the rules that follow it?
How long must the invoices be kept for?
What does holding an appropriate license mean for a practitioner or pharmacist or appropriate person?
- Includes schedule 2 CDs like codeine, pholcodine and morphine, but they are in schedule 5 as they are in low strength formulations
- Invoices must be kept for 2 years
- Appropriate license means you can manufacture schedule 5 substances
- Some are available as OTC
- Safe practice would be to contact the prescriber to confirm it
What is difference on a CD prescription compared to a normal POM prescription?
- Dose needs to be specific: “ONE as directed” but not “as directed”
- Date is valid for 28 days
- Important:
Ensure that the quantity of the preparation or number of unit doses: 20 tablets as well as Twenty tablets
What can pharmacists do about technical errors found on a CD prescription?
- Pharmacists can supply against prescriptions that have:
- Minor typographical errors or spelling mistakes
- The total quantity must be specified in either words or figures but not both - Need to ensure Rx is genuine and supplied in accordance to prescriber
- Must amend Rx with indelible ink on main body of script, clearly show amend ends and sign, date and GPhC reg no
- All other amendments or omissions must be corrected by original prescriber