Quebec proposes expanding the role of pharmacists 1st part: Broadening the scope of professional acts that pharmacists are permitted to perform

In this legal update and in a forthcoming legal update, we will be addressing two proposed regulations published by the Office des professions du Québec. These proposed regulations are part of several legislative initiatives aimed at granting pharmacists greater professional autonomy and at broadening the scope of the professional acts they are permitted to perform.  

In particular, the Regulation respecting certain professional activities that may be engaged in by a pharmacist proposes to broaden the conditions under which pharmacists will be able to prescribe, adjust or stop certain medications.

The Règlement sur l’amorce et la modification d’une thérapie médicamenteuse, sur l’administration d’un médicament et sur la prescription de tests par un pharmacien (Regulation respecting the initiation and amendment of a drug therapy, the administration of a drug and the prescribing of tests by a pharmacist) includes the following amendments to the current regulations: 

• Authorizing pharmacists to assess, adjust and stop a patient’s drug therapy.
• Authorizing pharmacists to substitute one drug for another when the latter poses a risk to patient safety, the patient’s clinical situation justifies the swift initiation of therapy and the prescriber cannot be reached in a timely fashion. 
• Introducing consultation requests, whereby professionals with prescribing authority may seek consultations from pharmacists, following which pharmacists can prescribe certain drugs and assess, initiate or modify a patient’s drug therapy.
• Introducing advanced practice agreements in partnership between pharmacists and specialized physicians or nurse practitioners.
• Authorizing pharmacists to administer certain vaccines. 

For more information, please contact us, consult our blog or the Regulation respecting certain professional activities that may be engaged in by a pharmacist and the Règlement sur l’amorce et la modification d’une thérapie médicamenteuse, sur l’administration d’un médicament et sur la prescription de tests par un pharmacien. 

The Office des professions du Québec invites those interested to submit comments on the proposed regulations before July 27, 2020. The address to be used to send comments or to obtain additional information about the proposed regulations is published in the Gazette officielle du Québec. You can also contact us for assistance in presenting your comments.