From 1 February 2018 medicines containing codeine will no longer be available without a prescription due to the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) up-schedule. The imminent change will provide opportunities and challenges for many pharmacists and pharmacy staff.
PDL assists pharmacists dealing with codeine requests and other professional issues. Reports to PDL consistently relate to the supply, or denial of supply, of codeine containing medicines. It is anticipated the scheduling change will reduce the number and consequence of many of these incidents.
However, challenges…