The Pharmaceutical Services Unit (PSU) is reminding pharmacists of the legislative requirements for dispensing Schedule 8 prescriptions for psychostimulant medicines such as dexamfetamine, lisdexamfetamine or methylphenidate.
A prescription for a psychostimulant medicine such as dexamfetamine, lisdexamfetamine or methylphenidate must be annotated with a NSW Ministry of Health approval number to make it valid for dispensing. For electronic prescriptions, this number must be included in the electronic prescription details. The approval number formats are:
It was previously communicated that prescriptions bearing a CNS or S28c approval number were valid for dispensing until 30 June 2024, unless expired. However, to support patient access to these medicines and prevent unnecessary burden on pharmacists and prescribers, prescriptions annotated with CNS or S28c approval numbers will continue to remain valid for dispensing, unless they are expired or cancelled.
Prescribers can apply for a NSW Ministry of Health approval number online via the SafeScript NSW website or by submitting the application form to the PSU.
The requirement for approval numbers does not apply to hospital patients unless the patient has been admitted for more than 14 days.
When dispensing a prescription, pharmacists need to:
If a prescription appears forged, altered or fraudulently obtained, pharmacists must not dispense it. Instead, pharmacists should:
View previously reported lost, stolen and forged prescriptions.
*Pharmacists are not expected to verify the approval number's validity or that a prescription has been issued in compliance with the conditions of the Class Authority.
^The legitimacy of a prescription can be verified if the pharmacist knows the patient or the prescriber, recognises the prescriber's handwriting from other prescriptions, or contacts the prescriber directly.
