Page 25 - P4403.59-V46_Numark Magazine December 23 PRINT FINAL

Foods and nutritional supplements Actions and further reading

There are many food products used to treat or Deciding if an item is allowed on prescription
manage various medical conditions; gluten- can be a complicated business, though
free foods, total meal replacements (e.g. essential to maintain your profit margin – if
Fortisip/FortiJuice), some baby milks and so you dispense an item and it is disallowed you
on. Where foods are used in this way they are will be out of pocket for the full cost, as well
considered by the Advisory Committee on as your time and effort.
Borderline Substances.
• Familiarise yourself with the electronic
Nutritional supplements cover the whole Drug Tariff. This has a search function
range of vitamin and mineral products from making it easier to look for products.
vitamin A to zinc. Most vitamin or mineral
products are not licensed as medicines (there • Familiarise yourself with the Dictionary of
are exceptions e.g. Fultium D3) but are allowed Medicines and Devices.
to be prescribed provided the description is • Familiarise yourself with PSNC’s
not in the blacklist. In most cases, provided "Dispensing on an FP10 database".
a generic description is used rather than a
brand name or manufacturer then the item • Read the monthly PSNC publication
will be allowed on prescription. "Community Pharmacy News" - archives
are available.
Borderline substances
• Look out for Numark Information Services
Some foods and toiletry preparations weekly tariff tips – featured in the news
have the properties of drugs when used to section of NumarkNet or listed by visiting
treat a medical condition. These products numarknet.com/member-benefits/advice-
are assessed by a committee, known as guidance/tariff-tips-library
the Advisory Committee on Borderline
Substances (ACBS), to decide if they are If in doubt – ask! Our Information Services
appropriate to prescribe on the NHS. If they team is here to take your calls on all aspects
are approved they are given the designation of pharmacy practice, including the Drug
'borderline substance' and listed in Part XV of Tariff. Our knowledge and experience of the
the Drug Tariff. Where a borderline substance Drug Tariff and related resources can be
is prescribed, the prescriber should endorse utilised to save you time and money – both
the prescription "ACBS" – however, if the precious resources.
endorsement is missing the item can still be
dispensed.

Part XV is split into three lists; A, B and C.

List A is an alphabetical list of products which
have been approved by the ACBS committee.
They are listed with the conditions that they
may be prescribed for. In other words, for a
borderline substance to be prescribed it must
be intended to treat the specified medical
conditions.

List B is a list of medical conditions combined
with the products that can be prescribed for
that condition.

List C no longer has any products on it but
still exists in the DT. It was a list of products
which have been considered by the ACBS but
may not be prescribed on Form FP10. These Contact us on 0800 783 5709, or
are now included in the blacklist rather than click the chat icon in the bottom
List C. right corner of NumarkNet.

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