Sask. pharmacists able to substitute prescriptions, new training

New training is coming to Saskatchewan pharmacists, allowing them to substitute medications under specific conditions.

The Government of Saskatchewan is expanding this ability to offer more care to patients.

The new training allows pharmacists to prescribe alternative medications under conditions approved by the Saskatchewan College of Pharmacy Professionals (SCPP), like during a supply disruption or shortage.

“For example, if a patient’s prescription heartburn medication is unavailable, a pharmacist would be able to substitute it with a different appropriate prescription heartburn medication,” read the statement.

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Pharmacists will be required to take training and meet competency requirements established by the SCPP and follow mandatory guidelines.

“Therapeutic substitution under Advanced Prescribing ‘A’ enables pharmacists to respond more effectively to medication availability and patient needs,” SCPP President Scott Livingstone said in the statement.

“By supporting access to equivalent therapies when a prescribed product is unavailable, this change helps minimize treatment delays and disruptions in care.”

Other circumstances where an alternative drug might be prescribed by a pharmacist include when a drug is officially taken off the market, the patient’s safety is at risk and the prescriber cannot be reached in a reasonable timeframe, or the patient is unable to take the initial drug and would benefit from a different drug with an alternative dosage or way or administering it, such as by mouth instead of by injection.

Saskatchewan pharmacists were first granted the authority to prescribe for four minor ailments in 2012. Since then, the list has grown to more than 30 conditions.

There are almost 1,300 practising community pharmacists in more than 430 licensed community pharmacies in Saskatchewan.