On December 19, 2013, Schedule F to the Food and Drug Regulations will be replaced with the Prescription Drug List. The Prescription Drug List is divided into two separate lists:
- A list of medicinal ingredients that, when found in a drug, require a prescription for human use
- A list of medicinal ingredients that, when found in a drug, require a prescription for veterinary use.
If a veterinary drug product is not on the “veterinary use” section of the list, it is considered a non-prescription drug for veterinary use.
Compared to Schedule F, the Prescription Drug List will look different and will be more user-friendly and up to date.
All drugs previously listed in Schedule F to the Food and Drug Regulations will be included in the Prescription Drug List. Accordingly, this list does not include ingredients listed in the schedules to the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act and its regulations.
The Prescription Drug List is accessible via the Health Canada website and will be updated weekly.
Two things to keep in mind
1. While the federal government may give a drug non-prescription status, each province can further restrict its conditions of sale. Please refer to Alberta’s drug schedules for more information.
2. These amendments will not affect the regulations on the sale of prescription drugs. Please refer to the updated Prescription regulations summary chart for more information.
