The new regulations require all doctors to include active ingredient names in their prescriptions.
Starting 1 February, all PBS (Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme) and RPBS (Repatriation Schedule of Pharmaceutical Benefits) prescriptions will need to include the name of active ingredients in each medicine prescribed.
The effort follows a recent initiative from the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA), requiring Australian medicines to use international names. Until now, the same drug could have a different name in Australia, compared to other countries. This variation in names could potentially lead to confusions in drug prescriptions, particularly among GPs traveling abroad.
The goal of these new regulations is to increase transparency on the active ingredients found in medicines. They also seek to help both consumers and doctors decide on generic or biosimilar medicines that contain the same active ingredient.
While the current deadline was 1 February 2021, there is a six-month grace period for pharmacies, ending on 31 July 2021. During this period, prescriptions that do not meet the active ingredient requirement can still be supplied and claimed under PBS or RPBS, without penalty. However, pharmacists are expected to make a reasonable effort to request prescribers to re-issue the prescription, meeting the active ingredient name regulation.
After this grace period, any prescription not meeting the active ingredient name regulation cannot be dispensed. However, some exceptions are in place. For example, these new regulations do not apply for handwritten prescriptions, paper-based medication charts in residential aged care facilities, medicines with four or more active ingredients, and certain medical items.