Pharmacy grace period for Active Ingredient Prescribing ends this month

From 1 August 2021, new PBS and RPBS prescriptions that do not meet Active Ingredient Prescribing requirements cannot be dispensed as PBS or RPBS prescriptions.

The Pharmacy Grace Period for active ingredient prescribing ends 31 July 2021. This means that pharmacists will no longer be able to dispense PBS/RPBS subsidised medicines for prescriptions that do not meet the active ingredient prescribing requirements.

Pharmacists will be contacting prescribers to reissue a prescription if the original prescription is found to be non-compliant. Alternatively, the medicine will be dispensed as a private prescription.

Prescribers will need to continue to ensure their clinical software is up to date and check the accuracy of prescriptions after they have been printed to reduce the risk of errors.

Active Ingredient Prescribing is part of a wider government initiative, which aims to ensure consistent and standardised medicines information, to support safe and appropriate use of medicines.

Check the PBS website for the latest advice, including Active Ingredient Prescribing requirement exceptions.