HEALTH PROFESSIONALS
Any registered medical practitioner in Australia can prescribe medical cannabis and any registered pharmacy can dispense against a TGA-approved script. As part of our patient-first philosophy, Burleigh Heads Cannabis is committed to educating and supporting health professionals through this process.
LEARN MORE VIA THE CANVIEW
CONFIDENT PRESCRIBER COURSE
MEDICAL PRACTITIONER APPLICATION PROCESS
1 - View, compare & choose products from Canview
BHC developed the Canview ordering platform which offers the widest range of plant-based medicines and Medical Cannabis therapies in Australia. All registered Medical Practitioners can utilise Canview during consultations to discuss and choose the best product options for their patients
2 - Submit a TGA SAS application.
Patients who suffer from a chronic condition, -where standard medicines have failed or caused negative side effects, may be eligible to try Medical Cannabis as a therapy. Approval or authorisation is granted by the TGA on a case-by-case basis.
3 - Once approved, the medical practitioner can write the prescription for a suitable product.
The prescription is based on the approval and can be sent to a local Pharmacy to order from our Canview platform
WHO IS ELIGIBLE FOR PLANT BASED THERAPIES?
In 2016, Cannabis was legalised in Australia for medicinal purposes. Each patient is assessed on a case-by-case basis to determine if this particular medicine is suitable for their condition and circumstances. In order to determine if your patient is eligible as a suitable candidate for plant-based therapies, there are a few prerequisites that need to be met:
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Your patient has a chronic condition that has lasted longer than 3 months
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Your patient has tried more than one standard treatment for their condition
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Your patient experiences severe side effects from standard treatments or standard treatments do not work
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You have set realistic expectations about their treatment plan, and explained that there is no guarantee the Medical Cannabis therapy will work for their condition
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You have clinical justification including relevant evidence that supports the use of Medical Cannabis therapies for the patient’s condition
HOW TO PRESCRIBE
MEDICAL CANNABIS
Any registered Medical Practitioner in Australia is able to prescribe Medical Cannabis for patients with a wide range of conditions. Any patient can be considered that has a chronic condition lasting 3 months or more, that hasn't responded to conventional treatments, or they have experienced significant side effects.
There are currently 2 commonly used pathways that can be used to access Medical Cannabis products in Australia:
TGA Special Access Scheme – B
This allows certain Medical Practitioners to access therapeutic goods that are not included in the ARTG and can be used if the Patient does not fit the Category A definition of seriously ill, or if the therapeutic good is not authorised for supply under Category C.
The Medical Practitioner can submit the application to the TGA and the State Government (where needed) and upon approval, can then write the prescription for the specific product. This approval currently lasts for 12 months.
Authorised Prescriber Scheme
This is a Medical Practitioner who is approved to prescribe unapproved therapeutic goods for a particular condition or class of patients in their immediate care without further TGA approval. Once a Medical Practitioner is part of the Authorised Prescriber Scheme, they don’t need to notify the TGA each time they prescribe an unapproved product, however, they must report the number of Patients treated every six months to the TGA.
Disclaimer: BHC does not endorse the use of Medicinal Cannabis without lawful prescription. Just like any medicine, medicinal cannabis may have both positive and negative side effects on the user and should only be prescribed to patients by a Health Professional with the authority and expertise to do so. The information provided by BHC is for informational and educational purposes and is of a general nature. If you are interested in accessing Medicinal Cannabis therapies please talk to your doctor.