This Order may be cited as the Prescription Only Medicines (Human Use) Order 1997 and shall come into force on 18th August 1997.

In this Order, unless the context otherwise requires–

• “the Act” means the Medicines Act 1968;

• “aerosol” means a product which is dispersed from its container by a propellent gas or liquid;

• F14“clinical management plan” means a written plan (which may be amended from time to time) relating to the treatment of an individual patient agreed by—

  1. a

     the patient to whom the plan relates,

  2. b

     the doctor or dentist who is a party to the plan, and

  3. c

     any supplementary prescriber who is to prescribe, give directions for administration or administer under the plan;

• “clinical trial exemption” means an exemption conferred by—

  1. a

     section 31(5) of the Act,

  2. b

     article 4 of the Medicines (Exemption from Licences) (Special Cases and Miscellaneous Provisions) Order 1972,

  3. c

     article 2 or 3 of the Medicines (Exemption from Licences) (Clinical Trials) Order 19745, or

  4. d

     article 3 of the Medicines (Exemption from Licences) (Clinical Trials) Order 1995;

• F3...

• F1“Common Services Agency” means the Common Services Agency for the Scottish Health Service established under section 10 of the National Health Service (Scotland) Act 1978;

• F1“Community marketing authorization” means a marketing authorization granted by the European Community under Council Regulation (EEC) No. 2309/93;

• “controlled drug” has the meaning assigned to it by section 2 of the Misuse of Drugs Act 19715;

• “cyanogenetic substances” means preparations which–

  1. a

     are presented for sale or supply under the name of, or as containing, amygdalin, laetrile or vitamin B17, or

  2. b

     contain more than 0.1 per cent by weight of any substance having the formula either α-Cyanobenzyl-6-O-β-d-glucopyranosyl-β-d-glucopyranoside or α-Cyanobenzyl-β-d-glucopy ranosiduronic acid;

• F4“district nurse/health visitor prescriber” means—

  1. a

     a person who—

     1. i

        is registered in Part 1 or 12 of the professional register, and

     2. ii

        has a district nursing qualification additionally recorded in the professional register under rule 11 of the Nurses, Midwives and Health Visitors Rules 1983; or

  2. b

     a person who is registered in Part 11 of the professional register as a health visitor,

  against whose name (in each case) is recorded in the professional register an annotation signifying that he is qualified to order drugs, medicines and appliances for patients;

• “dosage unit” means–

  1. a

     where a medicinal product is in the form of a tablet or capsule or is an article in some other similar pharmaceutical form, that tablet, capsule or other article, or

  2. b

     where a medicinal product is not in any such form, the unit of measurement which is used as the unit by reference to which the dose of the medicinal product is measured;

• F5“Extended Formulary” means the Nurse Prescribers’ Extended Formulary Appendix in the current edition of the British National Formulary;

• F5“extended formulary nurse prescriber” means a person—

  1. a

     F15who is a first level nurse, and

  2. b

     against whose name is recorded in F16the professional register an annotation signifying that he is qualified to order drugs, medicines and appliances from the Extended Formulary;

• “external use” means application to the skin, hair, teeth, mucosa of the mouth, throat, nose, ear, eye, vagina or anal canal when a local action only is intended and extensive systemic absorption is unlikely to occur; and references to medicinal products for external use shall be read accordingly except that such references shall not include throat sprays, throat pastilles, throat lozenges, throat tablets, nasal drops, nasal sprays, nasal inhalations or teething preparations;

• F17“first level nurse” means a person registered in Parts 1, 3, 5, 8, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14 or 15 of the professional register;

• F1“Health Authority”—

  1. a

     in relation to England and Wales, has the same meaning as in the National Health Service Act 1977;

  2. b

     in relation to Scotland, means a Health Board constituted under section 2 of the National Health Service (Scotland) Act 1978; and

  3. c

     in relation to Northern Ireland, means a Health and Social Services Board established under Article 16 of the Health and Personal Social Services (Northern Ireland) Order 1972;

• F18“health care” means services for or in connection with the prevention, diagnosis or treatment of disease;

• “health prescription” means a prescription issued by a doctor, dentist F19, supplementary prescriberF6, a district nurse/health visitor prescriber or an extended formulary nurse prescriber under or by virtue of–

  1. a

     in England and Wales, the National Health Service Act 19776,

  2. b

     in Scotland, the National Health Service (Scotland) Act 19787, and

  3. c

     in Northern Ireland, the Health and Personal Social Services (Northern Ireland) Order 19728;

• F20“health record” has the meaning given by section 68(2) of the Data Protection Act 19988;

• F1“homoeopathic certificate of registration” means a certificate of registration for the purposes of the Medicines (Homoeopathic Medicinal Products For Human Use) Regulations 1994;

• F21“independent clinic”—

  1. a

     in relation to England and Wales, has the meaning given by section 2(4) of the Care Standards Act 200010, and

  2. b

     in relation to Scotland, has the meaning given by section 77(1) of the Regulation of Care (Scotland) Act 2001;

• F21“independent hospital”—

  1. a

     in relation to England and Wales, shall be construed in accordance with section 2(2), (3) and (6) of the Care Standards Act 2000, and

  2. b

     in relation to Scotland, means—

     1. i

        an independent hospital, or

     2. ii

        a private psychiatric hospital,

     as defined by section 77(1) of the Regulation of Care (Scotland) Act 2001;

• F21“independent medical agency”—

  1. a

     in relation to England and Wales, has the meaning given by section 2(5) of the Care Standards Act 2000, and

  2. b

     in relation to Scotland, has the meaning given by section 77(1) of the Regulation of Care (Scotland) Act 2001;

• “inhaler” does not include an aerosol;

• F1“marketing authorization” includes a reference both to a United Kingdom marketing authorization and to a Community marketing authorization;

• “master” has the same meaning as in section 313(1) of the Merchant Shipping Act 19959;

• “maximum daily dose” or “MDD” means the maximum quantity of a substance contained in the amount of a medicinal product which it is recommended should be taken or administered in a period of 24 hours;

• “maximum dose” or “MD” means the maximum quantity of a substance contained in the amount of a medicinal product which it is recommended should be taken or administered at any one time;

• “maximum strength” means–

  1. a

     the maximum quantity of a substance by weight or volume contained in a dosage unit of a medicinal product;

  2. b

     the maximum percentage of a substance contained in a medicinal product calculated in any of the following ways–

     1. i

        weight in weight,

     2. ii

        weight in volume,

     3. iii

        volume in weight, or

     4. iv

        volume in volume,

     and if the maximum percentage calculated in those ways differs, the higher or highest such percentage;

• “medicinal product” includes any article or substance in respect of which section 58 of the Act has effect by virtue of an order made under section 104 of the Act, but does not include–

  1. a

     a medicinal product which is a veterinary drug as defined in section 132(1) of the Act or

  2. b

     an article or substance in respect of which section 58 has such effect where that article or substance is only to be administered to animals;

• “the Misuse of Drugs Regulations” means, in relation to England, Wales and Scotland, the Misuse of Drugs Regulations 198510 and in relation to Northern Ireland, the Misuse of Drugs (Northern Ireland) Regulations 198611;

• F1“NHS trust”—

  1. a

     in relation to England and Wales, has the same meaning as in the National Health Service and Community Care Act 1990;

  2. b

     in relation to Scotland, has the same meaning as in the National Health Service (Scotland) Act 1978; and

  3. c

     in relation to Northern Ireland, means a Health and Social Services trust established under article 10 of the Health and Social Services (Northern Ireland) Order 1991;

• F22“nursing home” has the meaning given by article 16 of the Registered Homes (Northern Ireland) Order 1992;

• “occupational health scheme” means a scheme in which a person, in the course of a business carried on by him, provides facilities for his employees for the treatment or prevention of disease;

• “offshore installation” means an offshore installation within the meaning of the Mineral Workings (Offshore Installations) Act 197112 which is within–

  1. a

     tidal waters and parts of the sea in or adjacent to the United Kingdom up to the seaward limits of territorial waters;

  2. b

     waters in any area designated under section 1(7) of the Continental Shelf Act 196413;

• “operator”, in relation to an aircraft, means the person for the time being having the management of the aircraft;

• “parenteral administration” means administration by breach of the skin or mucous membrane;

• F1“Patient Group Direction” means—

  1. a

     in connection with the supply of a prescription only medicine as referred to in article 12A(2), 12B or 12C, a written direction relating to the supply and administration of a description or class of prescription only medicine; or

  2. b

     in connection with the administration of a prescription only medicine as referred to in article 12A(2), 12B or 12C, a written direction relating to the administration of a description or class of prescription only medicine,

  • and which, in the case of either (a) or (b)—

    1. i

       is signed by a doctor or dentist, and by a pharmacist; and

    2. ii

       relates to supply and administration, or to administration, to persons generally (subject to any exclusions which may be set out in the Direction);

• “prescription only medicine” means a medicinal product of a description or falling within a class specified in article 3 of this Order;

• F1“Primary Care Trust” has the same meaning as in the National Health Service Act 1977;

• F23“prison service” means—

  1. a

     in relation to England and Wales, a Minister of the Crown exercising functions in relation to prisons (within the meaning of the Prison Act 1952),

  2. b

     in relation to Scotland, the Scottish Ministers exercising functions in relation to prisons (within the meaning of the Prisons (Scotland) Act 1989), and

  3. c

     in relation to Northern Ireland, the Northern Ireland Department exercising functions in relation to prisons (within the meaning of the Prison Act (Northern Ireland) 1953);

• F7“professional register” means the register maintained by the Nursing and Midwifery Council pursuant to paragraph 10 of Schedule 2 to the Nursing and Midwifery Order 2001;

• “prolonged release” in relation to a medicinal product means a formulation of that product which–

  1. a

     is used to reduce the rate at which the active ingredient in that product is released after administration, and

  2. b

     is sold or supplied as a prolonged, controlled or sustained release medicinal product;

• “registered midwife” means a person who is registered in Part 10 of F8the professional register;

• “registered nurse” means a person who is registered in F9the professional register;

• “registered ophthalmic optician” means a person who is registered in either of the Registers of ophthalmic opticians maintained under section 7(a) of the Opticians Act 198914;

• F24“registered provider” means—

  1. a

     in relation to an independent hospital, an independent clinic or an independent medical agency—

     1. i

        in relation to England and Wales, the person who is registered under Part II of the Care Standards Act 2000 as the person carrying on the establishment or agency,

     2. ii

        in relation to Scotland, the person who is registered under Part 1 of the Regulation of Care (Scotland) Act 2001 as the person providing the establishment or agency, and

  2. b

     in relation to a nursing home, the person registered under Part III of the Registered Homes (Northern Ireland) Order 1992 as the person carrying on the nursing home, other than a manager who is to be treated as carrying on the home by virtue of article 17(2) of that order;

• “relevant manager” means—

  1. a

     in relation to an independent hospital, an independent clinic or an independent medical agency—

     1. i

        in relation to England and Wales—

        1. aa

           a person who is registered under Part II of the Care Standards Act 2000 as the manager of the establishment or agency, but who is not the registered provider for that establishment or agency, or

        2. bb

           if there is no such person, but the registered provider has appointed a person to manage the establishment or agency, that appointed person,

     2. ii

        in relation to Scotland, a person, other than the registered provider, who was identified as an individual who is to manage the establishment or agency on the application for registration of that establishment or agency under Part 1 of Regulation of Care (Scotland) Act 2001, and

  2. b

     in relation to a nursing home, the manager of the nursing home, unless they are the registered provider for that home;

• “relevant register” means—

  1. a

     in relation to a first level nurse, the professional register, and

  2. b

     in relation to a pharmacist, the register maintained in pursuance of section 2(1) of the Pharmacy Act 1954 or the register maintained in pursuance of Articles 6 and 9 of the Pharmacy (Northern Ireland) Order 1976;

• “repeatable prescription” means a prescription which contains a direction that it may be dispensed more than once;

• “sell” means sell by retail as defined in section 131 of the Act and “sale” has a corresponding meaning;

• “soap” means any compound of a fatty acid with an alkali or amine;

• F1“Special Health Authority”—

  1. a

     in relation to England and Wales, has the same meaning as in the National Health Service Act 1977;

  2. b

     in relation to Scotland, means a Special Health Board constituted under section 2 of the National Health Service (Scotland) Act 1978; and

  3. c

     in relation to Northern Ireland, means a Special Health and Social Services Agency established under the Health and Personal Social Services (Special Agencies) (Northern Ireland) Order 1990;

• “state registered chiropodist” means a person who is registered in F10the register of chiropodists maintained by the Health Professions Council pursuant to paragraph 11 of Schedule 2 to the Health Professions Order 2001;

• F1“state registered paramedic” means a person who is registered in F11the register of paramedics maintained by the Health Professions Council pursuant to paragraph 11 of Schedule 2 to the Health Professions Order 2001;

• F13“Strategic Health Authority” means a Strategic Health Authority established under section 8 of the National Health Service Act 1977;

• F25“supplementary prescriber” means—

  1. a

     a first level nurse, or

  2. b

     a pharmacist,

  against whose name is recorded in the relevant register an annotation signifying that he is qualified to order drugs, medicines and appliances as a supplementary prescriber;

• “supply” means supply in circumstances corresponding to retail sale as defined in section 131 of the Act;

• “unit preparation” means a preparation, including a mother tincture, prepared by a process of solution, extraction or trituration with a view to being diluted tenfold or one hundredfold, either once or repeatedly, in an inert diluent, and then used either in this diluted form or, where applicable, by impregnating tablets, granules, powders or other inert substances.

• F1“United Kingdom marketing authorization” means a marketing authorization granted by the licensing authority under the Medicines For Human Use (Marketing Authorisations Etc.) Regulations 1994 (including a product licence having effect as such an authorization by virtue of Schedule 6 to those Regulations).

For the purposes of this Order, the equivalence of a substance to a reference material shall be determined by calculating the amount of that reference material which is contained in that substance either by weight or, where the amount of the reference material is specified in terms of international units of activity, those units.

In Schedule 3, the abbreviation “NPF” means the Nurse Prescribers' Formulary Appendix in the British National Formulary.

In articles 12 to F2612E, a reference to a prescription only medicine being sold or supplied for the purpose of being administered in accordance with the written directions of a doctor or dentist relating to a particular person, or in accordance with a Patient Group Direction, includes a reference to it being sold or supplied in accordance with such directions or such a Direction.

In articles 12A and 12C, a reference to an arrangement for the supply or adminstration of prescription only medicines includes a reference to an arrangement which covers such supply or administration and other matters.

In Schedule 7, Part I, a reference to treatment of a clinical situation includes a reference to any form of management of that situation.