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Following is the speech (English translation) by the Secretary for Food and Health, Dr York Chow, in moving the proposed resolution on Pharmacy and Poisons (Amendment) Regulation 2008 and Poisons List (Amendment) Regulation 2008 under the Pharmacy and Poisons Ordinance (Cap. 138) in the Legislative Council today (March 12):
Madam President,
I move that the motion under my name, as printed on the Agenda, be passed.
Currently, we regulate the sale and supply of pharmaceutical products through a registration and monitoring system set up in accordance with the Pharmacy and Poisons Ordinance. The Ordinance maintains a Poisons List under the Poisons List Regulations and several Schedules under the Pharmacy and Poisons Regulations. Pharmaceutical products put on different parts of the Poisons List and different Schedules are subject to different levels of control in regard to the conditions of sale and keeping of records.
For the protection of public health, some pharmaceutical products can only be sold in pharmacies under the supervision of registered pharmacists and in their presence. For certain pharmaceutical products, proper records of the particulars of the sale must be kept, including the date of sale, the name and address of the purchaser, the name and quantity of the medicine and the purpose for which it is required. The sale of some pharmaceutical products must be authorised by prescription from a registered medical practitioner, dentist or veterinary surgeon.
Arising from four applications for registration of pharmaceutical products, the Pharmacy and Poisons Board proposes to add four substances to Part I of the Poisons List and the First and Third Schedules to the Pharmacy and Poisons Regulations. Pharmaceutical products containing any of these substances must then be sold in pharmacies under the supervision of registered pharmacists and in their presence, with the support of prescriptions.
In addition, the Pharmacy and Poisons Board proposes to relax the control of cetirizine. At present, cetirizine is classified in Part I of the Poisons List, and can only be sold in pharmacies in the presence and under the supervision of a registered pharmacist. Cetirizine is an antihistamine drug used for the relief of nasal and skin allergies. As nasal and skin allergies are transient and can be self-diagnosed by patients, we propose reclassifying cetirizine as Part II poisons, so that it can be sold by pharmacies as well as medicine companies, and its sale would not be required to be conducted in the presence and under the supervision of registered pharmacists.
We propose that these amendment regulations take immediate effect upon gazettal on March 14, 2008 to allow early control and sale of the relevant medicines.
The two Amendment Regulations are made by the Pharmacy and Poisons Board, which is a statutory authority established under the Ordinance to regulate pharmaceutical products. The Board comprises members engaged in the pharmacy, medical and academic professions. The Board considers the proposed amendments necessary in view of the potency, toxicity and potential side effects of the medicines concerned.
With these remarks, Madam President, I move the motion.
Ends/Wednesday, March 12, 2008
Issued at HKT 16:31
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