Pharmacy Daily | Electronic S8 warning

A SIGNIFICANT number of pharmacists have lost their records of Schedule 8 medications due to “ransomware” which has impacted their electronic drug registers. Scammers manage to install programs such as CryptoVirus on target computers, meaning the data is encrypted unless the victim pays a “ransom” to get it back. According to a communiqué from the Victorian Pharmacy Authority, pharmacies notifying it of the problem have commonly reported being able to recover or recreate dispensing records, but not being able to recover electronic registers because they had not correctly backed up the data. The VPA reminded pharmacists that drug registers - either electronic or paper-based - must accurately reflect the actual quantities supplied and balance remaining at all times. Pharmacies were also urged to ensure they have adequate storage for S8 poisons, reviewing stock levels and implementing larger or additional drug safes if necessary.

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