NSW pharmacy contraceptive trial shortcuts women’s health and safety
The NSW Government’s decision to allow pharmacists to renew prescriptions for oral contraceptives, shortcuts women’s health and safety.
The NSW Government’s decision to allow pharmacists to renew prescriptions for oral contraceptives, shortcuts women’s health and safety.
The AMA has expressed concern at the New South Wales Government’s decision to allow pharmacists to renew prescriptions for oral contraceptives saying it contravenes independent expert health advice.
AMA Vice President Dr Danielle McMullen told Nine’s Today Extra that the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA), the Australian Government’s authority responsible for evaluating the safety of medicines, had ruled against allowing pharmacists to renew oral contraceptive prescriptions.
“We were really disappointed to see this decision in New South Wales,” she said.
“The TGA — which is the group that decides which medications are safe to access in a pharmacy and which need a doctor's prescription — looked at the contraceptive pill... and their expert decision was to keep it as a prescription-only medicine to protect the health and safety of women.
“So we are hugely disappointed that Premier Perrottet has taken the decision to sideline the TGA and take shortcuts on women's health.”
Under the plan, NSW would be the first state to allow pharmacists to renew prescriptions for the oral contraceptive pill under what it claims is a “fast-tracked plan to make it easier for people to access important medications and treatments”.
The AMA has criticised state governments for allowing a series of pharmacy prescribing trials because it presents a risk to patient safety.
AMA President Professor Steve Robson said, “Responding to GP shortages with second-class policy solutions to trample over the advice of independent bodies like the Pharmacy Board of Australia and the TGA and bypass established national processes that exist to protect patient safety is not the answer.
“GPs train for 12–15 years to have the expertise to diagnose conditions that are being covered in some of these trials. You cannot replace that training and experience with a few hours of weekly online training without putting patients at risk.”
