W 02 Law

Question 1

What is the purpose of the Medicines Act?

Answer 1

Regulates medicines, medical devices, and related products in New Zealand Market.

It ensures that the medicines and related products used in New Zealand are safe and effective.

Question 2

Who is an authorized prescriber in NZ?

Answer 2

doctors, 
dentists, 
midwives, 
nurse practitioners, 
optometrist prescribers

Question 3

Who are designated prescribers in NZ?

Answer 3

pharmacist prescribers,
registered nurse prescribers,
and dietitian prescribers.

Question 4

Who are Delegated prescribers in NZ?

Answer 4

NO delegated prescribers in NZ at this time.

Question 5

What are the certain cases of Prescriptions not required for prescription medicines?

Answer 5

A pharmacist who is satisfied of an emergency needs

Previously been prescribed by an NZ registered prescriber within 3-6 months,

Dispense for a period of 72 hours only or a minimum pack like inhaler or OC

Question 6

Can pharmacists legally supply prescription medicine without prescription?

Answer 6

Yes . In An ‘emergency’ situation.

Question 7

How is the legislation defined about patients’ emergency needs?

Answer 7

It is not defined in the legislation.

Pharmacists use their professional judgement to decide how to handle a patient’s request according to the particular circumstances at the time.

Question 8

Can pharmacists sell or supply control drugs in an emergency?

Answer 8

No. Controlled drugs must not be sold in an emergency.

Even Class C controlled drugs not. such as codeine, benzodiazepines

Question 9

How will a pharmacist identify emergency needs?

Answer 9

Immediate need for the medicine

Request is genuine;

Clinically appropriate and has been prescribed by a New Zealand registered prescriber within 3-6 months

Identify if consumer is not using emergency supply as their regular supply instead of visiting the authorised prescriber for a prescription;

if the clinical condition of the patient requires referral to a medical practitioner, if one is available

Question 10

To supply emergency medicine do we need to record the sale?

Answer 10

Should be recorded electronically inTONIQ dispensing system
The record should reflect the pharmacist making the supply.
NOTE: the patient’s prescriber should be notified of the emergency supply as soon as possible.

Question 11

Does emergency supplies are funded?

Answer 11

Not Funded.

Let the patient know about the supply.

Question 12

Case: Ms. N from Auckland comes into the pharmacy on a Sunday requesting a supply for her oral contraceptive pill, Norimin®. She has forgotten to pick up her repeat from her local pharmacy and will run out of her tablets during her stay in Dunedin. She shows you the near empty packet of Norimin® with the pharmacy label on it.What u will do?

Answer 12

supply a minimum pack size 28 tabs 1 pack normin as needed in an emergency and prescribed earlier.
Label at Toniq as an emergency supply.
Only if willing to pay (as unsubsidised)
Otherwise, pharmacist prescribers can prescribe > 1 month of Norimin

Question 13

Case: Mrs. S comes into the pharmacy on the weekend. She has a head cold and is feeling a little wheezy and tight in the chest. She has an appointment to see her GP early next week but is worried that her Symbicort turbuhaler® won’t last over the weekend as it is nearly empty. She asks if you can supply a replacement. You check the pharmacy’s dispensing records and see that she has had Symbicort turbuhaler® dispensed for her SMART therapy, regularly each month and was last dispensed 3 months ago.

Answer 13

If willing to pay can supply emergency supplies since legally can supply.
Use your own judgment for each case as to what defines an emergency.

Question 14

A regular patient, Bob, brings in a prescription from the local dentist. The dentist has prescribed five days supply of amoxicillin (prescription medicine, antibiotic). The pharmacist notices that the dentist has not signed the prescription, but as Bob is a regular patient she dispenses the prescription and decides to get the dentist to sign the prescription later.

Answer 14

No signature on dispensing. However, prescription seems urgent as it is for preventing infection.

Check with the Dentist (if known personally) before giving the medication to Bob. Otherwise call dental practice and ask them to send through

-for ‘oral script’ and get the dentist to send a new one through that is signed within 7

Remember: Dentists cannot give oral prescriptions for controlled drugs, but they can for normal prescriptions.

Question 15

What is the legal requirements of oral prescription for control drugs? should i dispense?

Answer 15

For controlled drugs need written prescription within 2 days only.

Check dr registration number in toniq
Verify other legitimacy

Question 16

A oral prescription can be given by a optometrist for chloramphenicol?why?

Within how many days pharmacist required written Rx?

Answer 16

Yas oral is fine as long as pharmacists can identify the practitioner as their known or by searching in Toniq. As chloramphenicol is within their scope of practice medicine.

But need to be written Rx within 7 days

Question 17

For whom can a midwife prescribe medicines and what can they prescribe?

Answer 17

Midwives can prescribe to patients under their care (during pregnancy, labour and up to 6 weeks postpartum= means the time after childbirth) with medicines from their scope of practice.

Question 18

What types of CDs Midwife can dispense only?

Answer 18

Morphine, Pethidine, Fentanyl (fentanyl is very strong so they preferably use morphine and pethidine)

Question 19

Case: Mrs. C from Invercargill requests a small supply of codeine 30mg tablets because she has forgotten to pick up her prescription from her local pharmacy. She is in Dunedin for her elderly mother’s radiotherapy and will stay here for at least a week. Mrs. C takes codeine regularly to help her with her chronic pain. A check of her dispensing history reveals she was last dispensed codeine tablets 4 weeks ago on a prescription written by her GP.

Answer 19

Cant supply as Control drugs can not supply during emergency needs

Question 20

Is a dentist an authorised prescriber?

Answer 20

Yes. Dentist is a Authorised prescriber

Question 21

Case: A regular patient, Bob, brings in a prescription from the local dentist. The dentist has prescribed a five days supply of amoxicillin (prescription medicine, antibiotic). The pharmacist notices that the dentist has not signed the prescription, but as Bob is a regular patient she dispenses the prescription and decides to get the dentist to sign the prescription later.

Answer 21

Check with the Dentist first (known personally or not) before giving the medication to Bob.

Otherwise call the dentist and ask them to send through a signed script.

In case of a known prescriber pharmacist can accept an ‘oral script’ however in that case pharmacist will request a signed prescription within 7 days.

For Oral (CD) prescription requests, pharmacists need a written prescription within 2 days.But remember Dentists can’t request CD by oral prescription.

Question 22

Can a dentist give an oral prescription for CD?

Answer 22

Dentists cannot give oral prescriptions for controlled drugs, but they can for prescription medicine.

Question 23

Case: A patient presents a prescription to the pharmacist for a 6 month supply of zopiclone. The prescription has been written by a Pharmacist Prescriber. The pharmacist is not sure if the Pharmacist Prescriber can prescribe zopiclone, but is not sure where to check to find out, so he tells the patient that they will have to go and see their doctor to get a new prescription.

Soon after the patient left the pharmacist received a phone call from the local optometrist. The pharmacist remembered that the optometrist had completed their prescribing training last year. The optometrist wanted to phone through a prescription for chloramphenicol eye drops for a patient. The pharmacist informed him that he cannot take a phone prescription from him and that he would need to give the patient a written prescription.

Identify the categories of NZ prescriber in this scenario?

Answer 23

Optometrist - authorised prescriber

Can take an oral prescription from optometrist no problem with that as the eye drops are within their scope of practice however for oral script the pharmacist needs a written script within 7 days.

Pharmacist Prescriber - Designated prescriber
Pharmacists can prescribe as zopiclone is on the list of medication however only for 3 months not for 6. So I need to amend that prescription by the prescriber pharmacist. Dont dispense

Question 24

For oral contraceptives, pharmacists can prescribe for how long?

Answer 24

Pharmacist prescribers can prescribe for 6 months. (all the other drugs for 3 months)

Question 25

For whom can a midwife prescribe medicines and what can they prescribe?

Answer 25

Patients under their care with medicines from their scope of practice. (during pregnancy, labour and up to 6 weeks postpartum= means the time after childbirth)
They can only prescribe 3 CDs : Morphine, Pethidine, Fentanyl (fentanyl is very strong so they preferably use morphine and pethidine)