As ACP has previously reported, over the last five months there has been a surge of prescription forgery attempts attributed to prescribers from other provinces, particularly Ontario and B.C. Extra vigilance should be exercised with all prescriptions for type 1 TPP drugs that originate from other Canadian jurisdictions.
As requirements differ and a secure prescription form may not be required in other provinces, you must always take steps to verify the authenticity of the prescription, including contacting the prescriber prior to dispensing medication and to collaborate on the patient’s care as required.
When contacting the prescriber, it is a best practice to use contact information available directly from the relevant regulatory authority or from the prescriber’s website rather than using the information provided on the prescription.
TPP Alberta drugs
In Alberta, the Tracked Prescription Program (TPP) monitors the prescribing and dispensing of certain prescription drugs. Type 1 TPP drugs are drugs that carry a higher risk of diversion and, when written by an Alberta prescriber, these drugs must be written using a secure TPP prescription form. TPP is an Alberta program and other Canadian jurisdictions have their own programs with different rules and procedures. If you receive a prescription for a drug at risk of diversion written by a health professional from another Canadian jurisdiction, you must determine and adhere to the requirements of the prescription monitoring program in that province or territory.
Appendix 2 of the TPP Alberta Program Guide contains contact information for all Canadian prescription monitoring programs.
If you have concerns that a prescription has been altered, forged, or stolen, please report the incident to ACP. Forgery alerts are emailed to regulated members on a regular basis to raise awareness of recent forgery activity.
