November 17, 2020
Notice to Registrants re: Prescribing Update
- Excluded Drugs
On October 15, 2020 the Pharmacopoeia Diagnostic and Referral Committee met and reviewed a list of all new drugs released to the market, current to June 2020. On November 4, 2020 the Board approved the exclusion of the following new drugs from the prescribing scope of practice for naturopathic doctors:
Antineoplastic Agents
- Apalutamide and its salts
- Darolutamide
- Flutamide
Disease Modifying Agents
- Denosumab
Ophthalmic Agents
- Latanoprostene Bunod or its salts or derivatives
Antiparkinsonism Agents
- Safinamide or its salts
Vaccines
- Anthrax Vaccine Adsorbed
The College has updated the Scope of Practice for Naturopathic Physicians: Standards, Limits and Conditions for Prescribing, Dispensing and Compounding Drugs (the “Standard”) to reflect the exclusion of the drugs listed above.
Additional Amendments
Standard 7 of the Standard has been updated to reflect that all adverse drug reactions must be reported to Health Canada via the Canada Vigilance Program.
- Approved Drugs
On November 4, 2020, the Board approved the drug Bimatoprost (Latisse) for prescribing by naturopathic doctors in BC with the following limits and conditions:
- it is only approved for the treatment of hypotrichosis of the eyelid;
- it is approved for use at a maximum strength of 0.03% w/v; and
- it remains an excluded drug for the treatment of intraocular pressure.
If you have any questions about the contents of this communication, please contact the College at office@cnpbc.bc.ca.
Regards,
Howard Greenstein, B.Sc., M.A., M.B.A.
Registrar & CEO