WOMEN across Queensland will have improved access to oral contraceptives regardless of brand, under revised legislation announced yesterday.
Pharmaceutical Society of Australia Queensland Branch President, Shane MacDonald, said the amended legislation would enable pharmacists to dispense oral contraceptives not listed on the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS) to patients without a valid prescription, in line with rules for PBS-listed products.
"Enabling the supply of all brands of oral contraceptives to women, under similar circumstances to those stipulated in the PBS Continued Dispensing Determination is a common sense approach by the Queensland Government, he said.
"It is important that women in Queensland are able to access the brand of oral contraceptive they require when there is an immediate need for the supply to allow for continued treatment."
The legislative reforms also allow medical practitioners to prescribe schedule 8 and schedule 4 medicinal cannabis without the requirement to have prior approval from Queensland Health.
MacDonald said the move would streamline the prescribing process for medicinal cannabis, by removing duplication in the approval process.
"Decreasing the administrative burden and improving access to medicinal cannabis is an important step to ensure patients continue to access cannabis products legally," he said.
"Any process that removes red tape and allows pharmacists and prescribers to focus on clinical care and medication safety, ultimately leads to better outcomes for patients and more efficient use of resource.
"Approval from Queensland Health is still required when prescribing an S8 medicinal cannabis product for a drug dependent person and the usual approval process for prescribing controlled drugs applies."
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