News and updates: February 2021
As of 1 February 2021, a couple of updates have come into effect which may be of interest to, or impact those living with arthritis.
Active ingredient prescribing
As of 1 February, all prescriptions in Australia must now include the medication's active ingredient, rather than the brand name. This is
called active ingredient prescribing.
This change is part of an Australian Government initiative and means the way medicine information looks on your prescriptions is
changing.
- What is an active ingredient?
- Why has this change come about?
- What does this mean for you?
We've gathered the below helpful links to help you learn more about this change, and what this means for you:
Active
ingredient prescribing: all you need to know
Consumer resource by NPS Medicinewise, published 9 September 2020
Doctors
must now prescribe drugs using their chemical name, not brand name. That's good news for patients
Article by The Conversation, published 1 February 2021
Over-the-counter access to low dose CBD
In December 2020, the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) announced that low-dose cannabidiol (CBD) containing products, up to a maximum
of 150 mg/day, for use in adults, can be supplied over-the-counter by a pharmacist, without a prescription. This came into affect on 1
February 2021.
This decision limits over-the-counter supply to only those products that are approved by the TGA and included on the Australian Register of
Therapeutic Goods (ARTG). Currently, there are no TGA approved products on the ARTG. More information:
Over-the-counter access to
low dose cannabidiol
Media release from the TGA, published 15 December 2020
Medicinal cannabis: Information for consumers
Therapeutic Goods Administration
Medicinal cannabis explained
Consumer resource, NPS Medicinewise
