Recently, a decision was made by the Ministry of Health to provide coverage for the commercially available Metadol-D product (DIN 2244290) as an alternative for patients in the community who cannot take or are not benefiting from Methadose. As of May 28, 2019, Metadol-D (10mg/mL) is eligible for regular benefit coverage through PharmaCare.
A reminder that Phase 2 of the new compounding standards should now be completed and pharmacies and pharmacy professionals should begin to shift their focus to Phase 3.
This past week, the College was fortunate enough to be invited back to the second annual Mental Health and Wellness Summit hosted by the First Nations Health Authority!
May 6-12 is Mental Health Week!
Stigma is an everyday reality for many Canadians living with a mental health issue, or addiction. They fear that they will be treated and looked upon differently because of their illness and, as such, will lose access to important services.
This February, the College issued a call for applications from pharmacists, pharmacy technicians and the public and received an overwhelming response of over 90 applications.
We'd like to thank all applicants for their interest in the College. The College’s volunteer committee members enable the College to achieve its mandate of regulating the pharmacy profession in the public interest.
Like any business, physical or operational changes to a pharmacy may be necessary from time to time in order to meet the needs of the patients it serves. These changes must be reported to the College in accordance with the Pharmacy Operations and Drug Scheduling Act (PODSA), the Pharmacy Operations General Regulation, and the College’s bylaws.
On April 1, 2018, the College’s amendments to the Pharmacy Operations and Drug Scheduling Act Bylaws came into effect. The first pharmacies to complete pharmacy licence renewals under the new requirements were those whose licences expired on June 30, 2018. They marked the beginning of the year-long transition period, which ended with pharmacies whose licence expires in May 2019.
On November 1, 2018, new reporting requirements for Medical Assistance in Dying (MAID) came into effect. The new federal regulations and provincial standards identified the reporting requirements for pharmacists, physicians, and nurse practitioners.
The College would like to remind pharmacies and pharmacy professionals involved in sterile compounding that the second phase of the Model Standards for Pharmacy Sterile Compounding should be completed by May 2019.
Compliance packs, more commonly known as “Blister Packs”, are a useful tool to increase medication adherence in patients experiencing difficulties with medication management.
However, due to the often-complex nature of the medication regimens; the potential for frequent therapy changes; and the multi-step process required for dispensing in compliance packs, they also introduce increased risks for errors to occur. Registrants need to be aware of these increased risks, and how to prevent errors from occurring for medications dispensed in this manner.