To report prescription stationery or prescriptions lost, stolen or forged, submit a Notification Form of Lost, Stolen or Forged Prescription. Allow two weeks for the submitted information to be published.
By reporting lost, stolen or forged prescriptions, you may help reduce the trafficking of drugs of abuse, such as alprazolam, fentanyl and oxycodone, sourced through fraudulent prescriptions.
An authorised practitioner in possession of prescription stationery, for handwritten or computer-generated prescriptions, must keep these in a secure place and away from public access, to reduce the risk of loss or theft.
Pharmacists are encouraged to be more vigilant in verifying the validity of prescriptions from authorised practitioners who have had their prescription stationery reported lost or stolen. Pharmacists should also be aware that some prescription stationery is printed with a false name, address or telephone number of the prescriber. Care should be taken when contacting a purported prescriber using the telephone number provided on the prescription, as they may not be contacting the registered health practitioner. The prescriber's name may be checked on the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency Register of Practitioners, and the practice address and telephone number should be verified independently through other published sources.
The prescriptions reported lost, stolen or forged table contains details of the purported prescriber as they appear on the prescription reported to be lost, stolen or forged.
The reporting of lost, stolen or forged prescriptions to the Pharmaceutical Services Unit is not mandatory under the Poisons and Therapeutic Goods Act 1966.
It is however an offence under the Poisons and Therapeutic Goods Regulation 2008 (the Regulation) for a pharmacist to dispense Schedule 4 and Schedule 8 medicines on prescription if it appears to have been forged or fraudulently obtained.
The Regulation also requires that immediately on being requested to supply a Schedule 4 Appendix D or Schedule 8 medicine on a forged, fraudulently altered, or fraudulently obtained prescription, a pharmacist must retain the prescription and report the incident to a NSW Police officer.
It is also an offence under the Drug Misuse and Trafficking Act 1985for a person to forge or fraudulently alter or utter, knowing it to be forged or fraudulently altered, a prescription of a medical practitioner, nurse practitioner, midwife practitioner or veterinary practitioner. It is also a breach of this legislation for a person who knowingly by any false representation (whether verbal, or in writing, or by conduct), obtains a forged or fraudulently altered prescription, or induces a pharmacist to dispense such a prescription, or to be in possession of such a prescription.