Probably the first Good Manufacturing Practice (cGMP) Prescription Service for herbalists in Europe commenced on September 14th 2009.
Amongst other benefits provided by our cGMP Prescription Service (such as complete traceability of all components and other on-going legal compliance with due diligence), it avoids the need for the practitioner to keep expensive stocks of medicines.
The Department of Health announcement on 16th July 2009 http://www.dh.gov.uk/en/Publicationsandstatistics/Publications/PublicationsPolicyAndGuidance/DH_102824 comments at 17 ( Section 1.15) :
“Government has also agreed to extend regulation to practitioners of acupuncture, herbal medicine, and traditional Chinese medicine practised in the UK”. Included on page 31 of the report is the intended “Regulation of Medicines, products and Premises”.
It has indeed been quite apparent for some time that the UK government is intent on (a) restricting the practice of herbal medicine to adequately trained and monitored professionals and (b) the purchase of medicines from GMP suppliers only (although herbalists will, it is believed, be allowed to make their own non GMP medicines and only supply them to their own patients).
With this in mind, Rutland Biodynamics Ltd has recently extended it’s current Good Manufacturing Practice (cGMP) system to include the dispensing of cGMP liquid medicines (tinctures and extracts) for practitioners. Please note that the service does not currently extend to dried herbs.
The standard operational procedure that we have developed roughly parallels that followed by high street chemists dispensing against GPs prescriptions in the UK. Dispensed prescriptions may, however, be sent out either direct to the patient, or to the practitioner concerned.
How the cGMP prescription service works
For due diligence in the protection of the patient and of the practitioner,
1. For medicines to be sent out direct to patients, the practitioner needs to be a current registered member of an acceptable body of professional herbalists. (Bodies currently acceptable for the dispensing of GMP herbs include members of the EHPTA, for example NIMH, CPP, IRCH, etc, as well as some professional bodies registered outside of Europe, such as AHG).
2. On applying to use the service for the first time, the practitioner is required to supply a specimen signature and / or a secure email address.
3. Orders will only be accepted in (a) written format, including by fax, together with a signature or (b) by email only from the agreed email address.
The cost, however, remains just 2.5p per ml dispensed, plus the cost of the ingredients, postage and VAT.
Minimum prescription size 300ml. To reduce carriage energy costs, damage and danger from glass, prescriptions will be posted in high density polyethylene bottles (identical to the Rutland branded range).
For more information, to join the scheme and to order, please contact our sales office, fax 01572 770808 or ring 01572 757440 for application details.
