Although, the federal government recently amended Schedule F to allow for the nonprescription sale of “naproxen and its salts when sold for oral use with a daily dosage of 440 mg,” the National Association of Pharmacy Regulatory Authorities (NAPRA) amended the national drug schedules to allow two categories of sale:

• Schedule III:  Naproxen sodium 220 mg tablets, when sold with a recommended maximum daily dose of 440 mg and in package sizes of up to 6600 mg
• Schedule II: Naproxen sodium 220 mg tablets, when sold with a recommended maximum daily dose of 440 me and in package sizes exceeding 6600 mg

these changes are not in effect in BC until they have been approved by the College board, followed by review and approval by the provincial government. This process takes several months and pharmacists will be notified by the College when the changes are official in this province.

We appreciate that this process can cause confusion for both pharmacists and the public as it is likely that the manufacturers will launch national advertising programs introducing these changes.  As a result, BC pharmacists will potentially receive requests for the deregulated products, which they will not be able to provide as these drugs will continue to require a prescription authorization in BC until the provincial drug schedules are amended.

Other provinces are authorized by their governments to refer to the national drug schedules, a process called ‘drug scheduling by reference’.  This means that changes such as these are effective immediately in those jurisdictions.