Unlicensed Medication(ULM)Specials Authorisation Process Community Pharmacy (last updated Sep 2023)
If you receive a prescription for a ULM, please consider the following steps
Double check, is the product
- Licensed (e.g. check BNF, or check MHRA products list)?
- Listed in Scottish Drug Tariff Part 7S or 7U?
- Available from UK NHS Manufacturing Site (e.g. Tayside)?
If YES to any above– authorisation not required, If NO- Please follow the ULM flowchart process below
All ULMs must be authorised by the board via the form below- Please complete all sections of the form (typed preferred) – To guarantee encryption, completed forms must be emailed from your clinical mailbox to: ulmrequest@lanarkshire.scot.nhs.uk
Once the form is received, the prescribing team will double check: Is the product licensed? Can it be switched to alternative licensed product? Can it be switched to alternative off-label product? Is the product listed in Scottish Drug Tariff Part 7S or 7U? Is the product available from an NHS Manufacturing Site? If so, these details will be advised back to the requesting community pharmacy.
If not, and there is no alterative product clinically appropriate available, the board will authorise the product at the cost it has evidence of availability of, at that current price, and detail the above supplier at that cost; the pharmacy may choose what supplier to source the product from, but will only be reimbursed at the stated cost.
This authorisation at the stated cost will remain for 12 months, unless communicated otherwise. Prices will be authorised up to 20% over this stated price during this 12 month period. Anything over this price will be clawed back
Clawbacks- The prescribing team will check and clawback any ULM costs that differ from the above. The pharmacies will be contacted and made aware of this. Clawback checks normally run 3 months in arrears.
UPDATED FLOW CHART AND AUTHORISATION FORM
NHS LANARKSHIRE UNLICENCED MEDICINE PROCESS FLOWCHART AUG 2020
NHS LANARKSHIRE UNLICENCED MEDICINE AUTHORISATION FORM AUG 2020
The supply of unlicensed medicinal products – “specials”
(1 September 2015)