Pharmaceutical Services Branch
information bulletin
Supplying Schedule 3 medicines
Who should read this bulletin?
Supply
This information is intended as a guide for
pharmacists supplying over-the-counter
Schedule 3 (S3) medicines.
S3 medicines are used to treat medical
conditions where the consumer is able to
self-identify ailments and symptoms, but
verification and counselling by a
pharmacist is required.
Schedule 3 medicines
S3 medicines (Pharmacist Only Medicines)
are defined as:
‘Substances, the safe use of which
requires professional advice but which
should be available to the public from a
pharmacist without a prescription.’
In Western Australia, S3 medicines are
those specified in Schedule 3 of the
Standard for the Uniform Schedule of
Medicines and Poisons (SUSMP), see:
www.tga.gov.au/industry/schedulingpoisons-standard.htm
S3 medicines are those which are
substantially safe with pharmacist
intervention to ensure quality use, but may
still cause harm if used inappropriately.
Legal restrictions
Only a pharmacist is authorised to supply
S3 medicines by retail sale. A S3 medicine
can only be supplied from a pharmacy
once a therapeutic need has been
established:
 directly by a pharmacist
or
 by a pharmacist intern under the
personal supervision of the
pharmacist.
Legislation requires a S3 medicine to be
supplied in person and true therapeutic
need to be established.
Dialogue with the consumer is needed to
reinforce or expand on safe medicine use.
Pharmacist involvement is necessary to:

select the most appropriate treatment

identify and manage adverse effects
and interactions

ensure symptoms of serious conditions
are not masked or diagnosis delayed

monitor safe use if recommended by
another health professional

reduce the risk of dependency,
misuse, abuse or illicit use.
The Pharmacy Board of Australia provides
guidance on best practice for S3 medicine
supply:
www.pharmacyboard.gov.au/CodesGuidelines.aspx
Pharmacist interaction must extend beyond
simple questions to ensure that a real
therapeutic need is established.
Supply of multiple quantities at one time is
not acceptable, without exceptional
reasons and where these are documented.
The Pharmaceutical Society of Australia
practice standards provide guidance on
individual S3 items (requires login):
www.psa.org.au/supportingpractice/professional-practice-
standards/pharmacist-only-medicines-s3protocols
Appendix J items
S3 items in Appendix J include
hydrocortisone, hydrocortisone acetate,
and pseudoephedrine. Appendix J items
must not be stored in the retail area of the
pharmacy.
A record of the sale must be made in the
dispensing system (prescription book) of:

the date supplied

purchaser/patient name and address

quantity supplied

a unique identifying number.
These records must be kept for two years.
The product must be labelled with the
name and address of the pharmacy and
the assigned unique identifying number.
Pseudoephedrine
Before supplying pseudoephedrine, the
pharmacist must also confirm the identity
of the purchaser by sighting photographic
identification. This is not required if the
purchaser is known to the pharmacist.
Regardless of identification requirements,
all pseudoephedrine sales must be labelled
and information on the transaction
recorded.
An approved system must be used to
record the required Appendix J information.
The only system currently approved in WA
is Project StopTM. This system is important
to review previous supply history, prevent
diversion and to be able to support quality
use of medicine in individual patients.
injector for the emergency treatment of
anaphylaxis. In 2012, salbutamol in inhaler
form to treat acute asthma was added.
The intention of these amendments is to
provide the ability for schools to keep life
saving medicines on hand, to treat children
under their care, in an emergency.
Pharmacists may supply these items to a
school where a specific patient and a
therapeutic need are not identified. The
supply must be related to the official
activities of the school and only for the
medicines and delivery forms mentioned.
Pharmacists should exercise professional
judgement regarding verification of
requests, quantities supplied, and
counselling offered.
Pharmacists may wish to direct purchasers
to clinical or workplace resources on
correct emergency management of these
conditions, such as:

www.asthmafoundation.org.au

www.allergy.org.au
Other restrictions
S3 medicines must be stored in the
pharmacy in a way that prevents any
physical access by the public.
All S3 medicines must be packaged and
labelled according to the requirements of
the SUSMP.
In Western Australia, S3 medicines may
only be advertised in bona fide health
practitioner trade journals. Only those
listed in Appendix H of the SUSMP may be
advertised directly to consumers.
Salbutamol and adrenaline
More information
In 2009, the Poisons legislation was
amended to allow schools, kindergartens
and childcare services to purchase, store
and administer adrenaline in an auto
For more information on S3 medicines
supply, contact the Pharmaceutical
Services Branch on (08) 9222 6883
(Monday – Friday, 8.30am – 4.30pm) or at
poisons@health.wa.gov.au