November/December 2008 - Ontario College of Pharmacists

practice Q&A
Greg Ujiye, R.Ph., B.Sc.Phm.
Professional Practice Advisor
QWhat must a pharmacist report to Health Canada
regarding controlled substances, specifically
narcotics and controlled drugs?
Both the Narcotic Control Regulations (NCR section 42)
and the Regulations to the Food and Drugs Act (s.G.03.013)
requires a pharmacist to report any loss or theft of these
drugs within 10 days of discovering the loss.
QHow do I report a loss? Are there forms to fill
out?
Forms can be found on the Health Canada website at:
http://www.hc-sc.gc.ca/dhp-mps/substancontrol/substan/compli-conform/loss-perte/index-eng.php
In addition, pharmacists can access the forms through the
OCP website by clicking on the menu tab “College Forms”
at the bottom of the OCP homepage, and clicking on the
link “Reporting narcotic and controlled drug loss…”
QWhat would be considered a loss of controlled
substances?
A loss can take many forms. Simply stated, a loss is anything
that results in a shortage in your inventory of controlled substances.
Some examples are theft or robbery, diversion or
unexplained loss, spillage or wastage, damage or contamination
of products, etc.
QWhat about forgeries? Are they reported
together with other losses?
No. Although forgery is a form of loss, forgeries are reported
on a separate Health Canada form. Pharmacists should
download and keep copies of both the loss report and the
forgery report forms with their narcotic records.
QWhat if I discover a forgery that was filled in the
past? Do I still need to report that?
Yes. Any loss, theft or forgery must be reported within 10
days of discovery.
Why is it necessary to print and review the
QNarcotic Sales Report?
The Narcotic Sales Report is an important management
tool in curbing diversion and theft, when properly reviewed.
Owners and managers should use the report with the narcotic
prescriptions dispensed to ensure that
• all reportable narcotics and controlled drugs are properly
recorded, i.e., their software is up to date,
• all prescriptions are accounted for, i.e., no prescription
numbers are missing,
• all narcotics and controlled drugs requiring a written prescription
are present,
• unusual patterns of drug usage are monitored or
identified.
QWhy is it necessary to do a narcotic inventory
regularly?
Narcotic inventories are necessary to provide a starting
point or baseline to perform narcotic reconciliations. Narcotic
inventories should be done on a regular basis, in conjunction
with random reconciliations on specific narcotics.
This will help to identify any shortages, possible diversion,
or theft. The introduction of perpetual inventory management
by software providers is a useful tool for facilitating
the reconciliation process.
QWho do I contact to receive permission to destroy
narcotics or controlled drugs in my inventory?
All requests for permission to destroy narcotics must be forwarded
to the Compliance, Monitoring and Liaison Division
of Health Canada. No specific form is required, however
all requests must be legible and include:
• name of the pharmacy
• name and signature of the pharmacist making the
request
• date of the request
• detailed list with name of product, strength, dosage form
and quantity as well as reason for destruction
Fax your request for destruction to the Compliance,
Monitoring and Liaison Division at 1-613-957-0110.
For more information the office can be contacted by telephone
at 1-613-954-1541
pharmacyconnection • November/December 2008
23