RECENT years have witnessed an exponential rise in the use of unregistered medicinal cannabis and compounded medicines such as replica semaglutide.
Authorities such as the Pharmacy, Medical, Nursing, and Midwifery Boards of Australia, along with Ahpra, are now directing their attention toward alarming reports suggesting practitioners are capitalising on this surge in demand.
The boards also noted with concern the TGA data which indicated a staggering increase of medicinal cannabis from approximately 18,000 Australian patients in 2019 to over one million patients by Jan 2024.
In response to these issues, Ahpra and the boards are reinforcing the longstanding obligations of practitioners when prescribing and dispensing medications, emphasising their applicability amidst evolving business models.
Additionally, a specialised unit will be established to address practitioners potentially breaching their ethical codes and obligations.
Of particular concern are practice models centred around specialised clinics catering to single disorders and prescribing single medicines based solely on patient demand.
Some businesses heavily rely on telemedicine consultations or algorithm-based prescribing, while others directly supply unapproved medicines to patients.
Ahpra CEO, Martin Fletcher (pictured), has warned against these emerging practices, asserting that they jeopardise the traditional therapeutic rapport between patients and practitioners.
He emphasised the necessity for balanced prescribing, ensuring both safety and accessibility.
"Good prescribing must balance safety and access," said Fletcher.
"While the delivery of telehealth services is supported by Ahpra and the National Boards, we do not support practitioners or health services taking advantage of patients or ignoring their obligations to provide appropriate care and follow up when needed."
Moreover, Fletcher highlighted the proliferation of businesses focusing on compounded glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) receptor agonists, prompting a TGA ban on compounding these medications from Oct 2024 (PD 22 May).
These business models, Fletcher explained, "often operate in ways that obscure the quantity and nature of medicines being distributed, potentially compromising patient care and violating Australia's professional codes of conduct".
Pharmacists can learn more about professional responsibilities for dispensing medicines, HERE. JG
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