Pharmacy Voice is calling for the GPhC to allow pharmacists to continue to extemporaneously prepare methadone to ensure timely patient access.
In a consultation response to the GPhC’s ‘call for evidence about the extemporaneous preparation of methadone’, Margaret Peycke, from Pharmacy Voice said:
“The provision of methadone is one of the mainstays of treatment, both maintenance and detox, for those with substance misuse problems and the bulk of supply is made through community pharmacies. If pharmacists are unable to prepare extemporaneously, there will be storage challenges in smaller premises that could seriously limit the number of people that pharmacy can support. Even those with larger premises will be installing a cupboard at a cost, which will ultimately be borne by the taxpayer.
“The main sufferer would be the substance misuser, unable to obtain their methadone from the pharmacy of their choice and at risk of being unable to adhere to their dosing schedule.”