NAPRA Drug Schedule Update
The interim recommendations made by the National Drug Scheduling Advisory Committee (NDSAC) on December 6, 2021 that:
- Brimonidine tartrate ophthalmic solution in concentrations up to and including 0.025%, used for the relief of redness of the eye due to minor eye irritations caused by environmental allergies, dryness and fatigue for adults of 18 years and older be granted Schedule III status, subject to the removal from the Prescription Drug List (PDL)
- Brimonidine or its salts, except when sold as brimonidine tartrate ophthalmic solution in concentrations up to and including 0.025%, used for the relief of redness of the eye due to minor eye irritations caused by environmental allergies, dryness and fatigue for adults of 18 years and older will remain in Schedule I (as per the Prescription Drug List)
were finalized effective January 25, 2022. Final approval of the interim recommendations was made by NAPRA’s Board of Directors, in consideration of comments received during the 30-day review period. The National Drug Schedules (NDS) will be revised accordingly once the affected substance is removed from the Prescription Drug List.
Please be reminded that in early 2020, NAPRA began removing natural health products (NHPs) listed within NAPRA’s NDS in a stepwise, risk-based approach. Effective January 2, 2022, NHPs that were listed within Schedule I and II were removed from the NDS, with the exception of ephedrine and pseudoephedrine. More information can be found on the NAPRA website here https://napra.ca/background-update-napra-nhp-policy.
Launch of Health Canada online E-Services Portal for Reporting the Loss or Theft of Controlled Drugs and Substances
Loss or theft of controlled drugs and substances must be reported to the College of Pharmacists of Manitoba and Health Canada’s Office of Controlled Substances within ten days of discovery. Health Canada has recently launched an online E-Services Portal to facilitate online reporting of loss/theft of controlled drugs and substances to the Office of Controlled Substances.
The E-Services Portal
- Is a personal account (not a pharmacy account) and should not be shared with others
- Allows an individual to submit and manage reports to Health Canada for multiple pharmacies
- only authorized individuals (licensed pharmacists) can submit reports
- pharmacy support staff, such as pharmacy technicians and pharmacy assistants can forward draft reports to authorized colleagues for review and submission
The E-Services Portal allows you to
- Submit loss or theft reports to Health Canada
- View, download, or print submitted reports
- Amend reports when new information becomes available
Of note: All reports submitted on the E-Service Portal must be
- manually submitted to the College. The report can be downloaded and/or printed from the portal and faxed (204-237-3468) or emailed (losstheft@cphm.ca) to the College.
- immediately available in the event of an audit.
Loss/theft reports MUST be maintained in a separate physical or electronic record at the pharmacy (this may include creating a pdf or printing the report)
For additional information and to sign up for the E-Services Portal please visit Health Canada’s website. Loss/theft reports can continue to be manually submitted to the Office of Controlled Substances if preferred.
CPhM Awards Program Postponed to 2023
Owing to a significant decrease in nominations received this year and the unprecedented times, the CPhM Awards program is paused for 2022. Current nominations in hand will be carried forward and presented to the Awards and Nominating Committee for consideration in 2023.
Thank you to those who submitted nominations.
Use of “Specialist” and “specialty” in pharmacy
Use of the terms “specialist” and “specialty” and any terms that infer either, are restricted by the Manitoba Pharmaceutical Act. Only pharmacists qualified as a specialist in an area listed in section 96 of the Pharmaceutical Regulation, and have their specialty listed on their pharmacist licence, may call themselves a “specialist” or use a job title that includes the term “specialist”. Currently, the use of these terms is limited to those pharmacists who have received the Extended Practice Pharmacist (EPPh) designation. The use of “specialist” and “specialty” is also not permitted with respect to the licensing or advertising of pharmacies.
For examples of accepted specialty qualifications, please see information on the EPPh webpage.
Practice Direction Consultations Reminder
Pursuant to The Pharmaceutical Act and Regulations and the Policy Statement on Practice Directions, CPhM welcomes the feedback of all stakeholders, including registrants and members of the public, through a transparent consultation process. To facilitate this process a webpage dedicated to public consultation has been added to the CPhM website. It is located at the “Consultations” tab under the “News and Events” heading of the CPhM homepage or alternatively at the following link: https://cphm.ca/news-events-publications/consultations/
To supplement the currently open consultations, summary charts of the proposed amendments to the following practice directions have been posted:
- Termination of a Patient Relationship
- Summary chart of proposed amendments to the Termination of a Patient Relationship Practice Direction
- Permanent and Temporary Pharmacy Closures
- Summary chart of proposed amendments to the Temporary Pharmacy Closures Practice Direction
- Administration of Drugs including Vaccines
- Summary chart of proposed amendments to the Administration of Drugs including Vaccines Practice Direction
Please review the draft amendments and provide your feedback by email to feedback@cphm.ca by February 22, 2022.
Future consultations will continue to be announced in the Friday Five and posted on the CPhM website’s consultation page.
Upcoming Events & Professional Development Opportunities
Palliative Care Pharmacy – Micro-Credential Program
February 4 – March 18, 2022
Register here