Medicines Act 1968
| Act of Parliament | ||
 Commencement 1968 | | |
Status: Amended | ||
|---|---|---|
| Text of the Medicines Act 1968 as in force today (including any amendments) within the United Kingdom, from legislation.gov.uk. | ||
The Medicines Act 1968 (c. 67) is an
long title is "An Act to make new provision with respect to medicinal products and related matters, and for purposes connected therewith."[1] It governs the control of medicines for human use and for veterinary use, which includes the manufacture and supply of medicines, and the manufacture and supply of (medicated) animal feeding stuffs.[2]
The act defines three categories of medicine:
nurses
); pharmacy medicines (P), available only from a pharmacist but without a prescription; and general sales list (GSL) medicines which may be bought from any shop without a prescription.
The act controls supply of the
drugs it covers, but does not define any offence of simple possession. Possession of a prescription only drug without a prescription is only an offence if the drug is also controlled under the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971
and possession is thus specified as an offence. Therefore, for example, possession of a prescription only antibiotic without a prescription is not an offence.
For description of the legal classification of medicines in the UK see the Royal Pharmaceutical Society web site, and the publication Medicines Ethics and Practice.[4]
The act was introduced following problems with the off-label use of thalidomide.[5][6][7][8]
The act established the forerunner to the actual Commission on Human Medicines.
References
- ^ "Medicines Act 1968". www.Legislation.gov.uk. Her Majesty's Government of the United Kingdom. Retrieved 7 November 2016.
- ^ Kayne, Steven B; Jepson, Michael H, eds. (2004). Veterinary Pharmacy. Pharmaceutical Press.
- ^ "The Prescription Only Medicines (Human Use) Order 1997". www.Legislation.gov.uk. Her Majesty's Government of the United Kingdom. Retrieved 7 November 2016.
- ^ http://www.rpharms.com/mep/legal-classification-of-medicines.asp (subscription required)
- PMID 10325794.
- ^ Royal Pharmaceutical Society (2011). "The evolution of pharmacy, Theme E, Level 3 Thalidomide and its aftermath" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 9 October 2014.
- PMID 9638280.
- PMID 11770171.
Further reading
- The Textbook of Pharmaceutical Medicine, John P. Griffin.[full citation needed]
External links
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