To prescribe medicinal cannabis for a group of patients with the same condition (for example, children with treatment-resistant epilepsy), a medical practitioner can apply to become an Authorised Prescriber.
When a medical practitioner becomes an this means they do not need to notify the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) each time they prescribe the cannabis product, but instead must report to the TGA the number of patients treated every 6 months.
The medical practitioner must also seek endorsement for their application from an ethics committee who will assess not only the safety of the cannabis product for the condition, but also the suitability of the medical practitioner.
As stated on the TGA website, it is not possible to find out who is an Authorised Prescriber due to privacy reasons.
Patient access to medicinal cannabis products via the Authorised Prescriber scheme is summarised below:聽聽
Review clinical evidence for using cannabis products for a group of patients with a particular medical condition.
Identify a specific cannabis product (trade name, formulation, route of administration and dose) appropriate for your patient鈥檚 medical condition. Identify a GMP-accredited supplier that can provide this cannabis product.
View a list of for an Australian stock supply.
Submit a completed to the TGA, which summarises information in Steps 1 a to b.
Your completed AP form must be 聽in the form of a letter. Once obtained, submit the AP form along with the endorsement letter and supporting evidence to the TGA.
Contact your relevant聽聽regarding additional requirements for prescribing medicinal cannabis products.
If stock is available in Australia, contact supplier and provide AP authorisation and state/territory approval (if required).
If the product must be imported from overseas,聽聽by the supplier from the Office of Drug Control (ODC).
