A medicine has a licence but needs to be made up to be taken as an unlicensed formulation. This is usually as a specially- prepared liquid for someone who has difficulty swallowing the licensed tablets. A medicine that has no licence at all. These are often medicines used for treating rare illnesses.

In the UK, licences are granted by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) and the European Medicines Agency (EMA). Licences confirm the health condition the medicine should be used for and the recommended dosage. This can be found in the information leaflet that comes with the medicine.

In this guidance, the term ‘unlicensed medicine’ is used to describe medicines, which are used outside the terms of their UK licence or that have no licence for use in the UK. 28. Unlicensed medicines are commonly used in some areas of medicine, such as in paediatrics, psychiatry and palliative care.

At present, the following healthcare professionals can prescribe an unlicensed medicine: doctors; dentists; independent nurse and pharmacist prescribers and, in some circumstances, supplementary prescribers (who can be a pharmacist, nurse, midwife, community nurse, optometrist, physiotherapist, radiographer, or …

The Act defines three categories of medicine: prescription only medicines (POM), which are available only from a pharmacist if prescribed by an appropriate practitioner; pharmacy medicines (P), available only from a pharmacist but without a prescription; and general sales list (GSL) medicines which may be bought from …

Unlicensed medicines and ‘off-label’ use This could mean using the medicine for a different condition or a different group of patients, or it could mean a change in the dose or that the medicine is taken in a different way.

Nurse independent prescribers can now prescribe unlicensed medicines on the same basis as doctors, as well as medicines outside their licensed indications, following regulatory changes.

What Are the Four Types of Drugs?

• Depressants. Some of the most commonly found types of drugs in society are depressants.
• Stimulants. Stimulants, such as caffeine or nicotine, work in the opposite manner.
• Opioids. The opioid addiction crisis has affected our society to a grave degree.
• Hallucinogens.

The PIP code, a unique seven-digit coding system used to ensure traceability and accurate product information when ordering pharmaceutical products, was previously used only for products available in the community pharmacy setting. This costs UK pharmacy time, money and lives.”

Not many people realise that sharing medication is both dangerous and illegal, even between family members. According to the Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Authority (MHRA), anybody who supplies prescription drugs to someone who it is not intended for, is breaking the law.

• A medicine that has no licence at all. These are often medicines used for treating rare illnesses. The manufacturer may have decided that it was too expensive to carry out the clinical trials or it would be difficult to find enough patients for the clinical trials needed to get a licence.

Pharmacists are a valuable and integral part of the healthcare system. In recent years, the pharmacist’s role has evolved to include the ability to prescribe medications, adjust and monitor drug therapy, perform patient assessments, and more — given an active license from the Board of Pharmacy.

POMs must be sold or supplied according to a prescription prescribed by a health practitioner. This can be a doctor, dentist, or other independent or supplementary prescriber.

In palliative care, it is usual to mix two or more medicines in a syringe driver before administration. In 2008, the MHRA realised that the legal position could potentially obstruct the provision of effective pain relief and symptom control to patients receiving palliative care.

They take a significant amount of time and resource to develop and implement. You can only supply and or administer medicines under PGDs if there is an advantage for the patient without compromising their safety.

The person undertaking this preparation, unless an exemption applies, must hold a manufacturer’s licence. In palliative care, it is usual to mix two or more medicines in a syringe driver before administration.