Category: Prescription requirements

Learn about legal requirements for prescriptions, covering private, NHS, and e-prescriptions, along with key compliance rules.

Prescription requirements Record-keeping requirements Wholesaling

Signed orders and records for POM supplies

When a prescription only medicine (POM) is supplied from a registered pharmacy otherwise than in accordance with a prescription (for example, to healthcare professionals or organisations), the Human Medicines Regulations 2012 impose specific record-keeping requirements.

These requirements differ depending on:

Under regulation 253 of the Human Medicines Regulations 2012, where a POM is sold or supplied otherwise than in accordance with a prescription, the supply must be recorded unless a specific exemption applies.

Controlled drugs Prescription requirements Record-keeping requirements

Sativex

Sativex (nabiximols) is a prescription-only cannabis-based medicine used to treat moderate to severe spasticity in multiple sclerosis. Although it contains controlled substances (THC and CBD), it is not treated like traditional cannabis or other high-risk controlled drugs.

Instead, Sativex has a unique legal classification: it sits in Schedule 4 Part 1 of the Misuse of Drugs Regulations 2001, but with some extra rules not normally applied to other drugs in that category.

🗂️ See official UK Government policy announcement on Sativex scheduling (gov.uk)

Prescription requirements Veterinary medicines

Prescription requirements for veterinary medicines

This article explains the legal and best practice requirements for veterinary prescriptions in the UK, including those for POM-V, POM-VPS, and medicines prescribed under the veterinary cascade. The legal framework is primarily set out in the Veterinary Medicines Regulations 2013, with additional best practice guidance provided by the Veterinary Medicines Directorate (VMD) and the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons (RCVS).

To be legally valid in Great Britain (England, Wales, and Scotland), a written veterinary prescription must contain the following information, in accordance with the Veterinary Medicines Regulations 2013 and RCVS guidance:

When prescribing Schedule 2 or 3 Controlled Drugs for animals, the following additional requirements must be met. These are outlined in the RCVS Controlled Drugs A–Z guidance and aligned with the Misuse of Drugs Regulations 2001: