remote treatment – Online Prescribing

Online Prescribing of Psychedelics

Mike Bereza — Thu, 22 Dec 2022 22:58:31 +0000

Online prescribing of psychedelics is not currently possible in most countries as even though the taboo against the medicines is falling there is a historical concern about administration should be done in the correct set and setting. This is compounded by the fact that in the United States, the Controlled Substances Act (CSA) makes it illegal for healthcare providers to prescribe controlled substances, including most psychedelics, without a face-to-face examination. The CSA also requires that prescriptions for controlled substances be written on special forms and be physically delivered to the pharmacy.

There are some exceptions to this rule, such as in the case of telemedicine, where a healthcare provider may prescribe controlled substances via a video call if certain conditions are met. However, the use of psychedelics for medical purposes is still highly regulated and not widely accepted.

One recent example of poor online prescribing practice is a story of a patient who was prescribed 75 doses of Ketamine in 5 minutes online which was then delivered to his house for under $300. Whilst providing access to low-cost medicine for patients is an ethical virtue of practice one should keep in mind that there is an online prescribing best practice which should be followed. This includes online prescribing risk analysis and subsequent mitigation which should be performed after each medicine is added to an online prescribing formulary.

However, if proper safeguards are in place there are a wide range of opportunities in the medical space, including:

Psilocybin availability in the UK

If you would like more information concerning these opportunities you can contact one of our expert consultants here.

Online Prescribing Damage Mitigation

Mike Bereza — Fri, 22 Jul 2022 23:52:03 +0000

Prescription drugs can come with a host of side effects that can be bothersome and even dangerous. Nearly all medications are made up of tiny molecules, which are smaller than the cells that line the intestines. The minute these molecules pass into the intestines, they’re absorbed into the body. This means that certain types of medications shouldn’t be taken orally.

Consumer-facing Prescription Safety Measures

Patients should always be aware of the safety precautions necessary when dealing with chronic prescriptions. There are a variety of potential dangers that can occur such as drug interactions, accidental ingestion, and overdosing.

Civil damages claimed by patients treated under the NHS.

Above is a list of civil damages claimed by people who use the free NHS in the UK.

Regulation 25(2)(a) & Distance Selling Pharmacy – uninterrupted service provision

Mike Bereza — Wed, 09 Feb 2022 04:27:17 +0000

“Distance Selling Pharmacies should provide the uninterrupted provision of essential services during opening hours to persons anywhere in England who request those services; and“

~ The National Health Service (Pharmaceutical and Local Pharmaceutical Services) Regulations

Regulation 25 (2)(a), which can be found in the National Health Service Regulations is often quoted by the NHS inspectorate during a refused application for a distance-selling pharmacy. The reason this regulation was initially included by the NHS was to ensure that there are no conflicts of interest in a primary care provider such as a GP surgery opening up a distance-selling pharmacy within its location. The conflict that might arise is that the GP or whoever is writing the prescription will direct the patient to the pharmacy within the building for dispensing. i.e. if the GP has a share in both businesses they will be both the gold mine and the jeweller!

The best way to avoid conflicts of interest like this is to not do it! Or if there is no other option to create a clinical governance framework which would train all prescription writers not to direct prescriptions to the pharmacy within the same building. This is very nuanced, however, has been done in multiple previous locations including Douglas Pharmacy, in Angel Islington. If you would like further advice from the pharmacist that set this up please use this link.