Health Canada exemption has been beneficial in N.S., says College of Pharmacists CEO

A Health Canada exemption that allows pharmacists wider authority to extend and renew prescriptions has made a marked improvement to Nova Scotia's health-care system, says the CEO of the Nova Scotia College of Pharmacists.

Beverley Zwicker says the ability for pharmacists to prescribe a broader range of drugs has taken some of the health-care burden from doctors and nurse practitioners.

The exemption to the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act, which extends until 2026, came into effect during the COVID-19 pandemic.

"Pharmacists have six years of training as health-care professionals who could use them better," Zwicker said.

"We just need to use people better and we're doing that here in Nova Scotia. I think that's the good news." 

The exemption authorizes pharmacists to extend and renew prescriptions and transfer prescriptions to other pharmacists. 

The exemption also authorizes physicians and practitioners to verbally prescribe medications containing controlled substances over the phone and allows pharmacists to deliver medications to a patient's home.

These were responsibilities pharmacists did not have prior to the pandemic.

Some of the controlled substances include benzodiazepines to treat anxiety and depression, and medication that treats opioid use disorders that include methadone and buprenorphine. 

Zwicker has urged the federal government to make the exemption permanent in Nova Scotia. 

"The provisions they made worked well," Zwicker said. "But there's more that should be done at the national level so that the federal government gives full autonomy for the provinces." 

In a written statement provided to CBC, Health Canada says it will consider all viewpoints in its review of the exemption.

"As Health Canada moves forward with developing final regulations, all stakeholder feedback received will be taken into consideration," Health Canada said in a statement to CBC.

A study partially funded by the College of Pharmacists was published in August that shows an increase in the number of prescriptions dispensed between 2021 and 2022.