Tuesday, March 6 2018 19:51

ArmInfo. The Ministry of Health of  Armenia provided the legal basis for a phased transition to  dispensing prescription drugs. On March 6, the Government of Armenia  suspended the decision N 1402-N of November 9, 2017 "On the form of  prescriptions, the procedure for issuing prescriptions, the  dispensing of medicines, as well as the procedure for recording  medicines and medicines (including electronically) "and approved the  schedule of the new order of the drug issue.  Previously, the  Ministry of Health was accused in the absence of a regulatory  framework for a phased transition to a new order for the dispensing  of prescription drugs.

In particular, as the Deputy Minister of Health of Armenia Samvel  Margaryan stated, presenting the draft decision, according to the  draft, having studied the situation that has arisen in connection  with the requirement to dispense prescription medicines solely by  prescription, the Ministry of Health offers a schedule for gradual  transition to order. The basis of the schedule, as explained by the  deputy minister, is the degree of risk in the use of drugs.  "Psychotropic medications and antibiotics will be released on  prescription from March 1, from July 1 this requirement will affect  all injecting drugs, and from October 1 - the legislative imperative  will come into force in full and spread to the entire prescription  list," Margaryan said. Meanwhile, as previously reported, from March  1, scheduled prescription leave of antibiotics, hormonal and  codeine-containing drugs, from July 1, the number of prescription had  to enter all injectable drugs and oncological medicine, and from  October 1 - all other medicines, stipulated by the government  decision.

"Be careful, there is information that these prescriptions are  already written out right before the pharmacy for an additional fee,"  Prime Minister Karen Karapetyan called. "Be extremely careful that it  does not turn into a props," he urged.

As stated in the draft decision, it is planned to partially suspend  the government decision of November 9, 2017 "On the form of  prescriptions, the procedure for issuing prescriptions, dispensing  medicines, as well as on the treatment of medicines and medicines  (including electronically)," and decisions N 1402-N on the  invalidation of the resolution of August 14, 2001 N 759 on the  establishment of the order of accounting for drugs and medicines  before October 1, 2018, and on the part of injecting drugs the action  of the decision will be suspended until July 1 2018, with the  exception of drugs and psychotropic drugs. The decision does not  apply also to drugs provided free of charge or on preferential terms  and antiviral drugs (antibacterial, antifungal drugs,  antimycobacterial agents, immune sera and immunoglobulins, vaccines).

On March 1, the government's decision on the form of prescriptions,  the procedure for issuing prescriptions, dispensing medicines, as  well as the procedure for recording medicines and medicines came into  force in Armenia. After the entry into force of the decision, 2,700  medicines out of the total number of 4700 medicines registered in the  country will be dispensed in pharmacies solely by prescription.