Category: Healthcare regulations

According to the Department of Health, unused medicines cost the National Health Service (NHS) around £300 million every year. To help manage this and improve patient safety, a standard practice known as the **28 day prescription rule** has been implemented, limiting the routine supply of repeat medications to this specific interval.

Under the Controlled Substances Act, drugs are classified into five schedules based on their medical use and potential for abuse. Understanding these classifications is crucial for healthcare. So, what are Schedule 2 and III drugs and how do they differ?

Since 1999, over one million people in the United States have died from drug overdoses, with opioids being a factor in three-quarters of those deaths [1.2.7]. This highlights the critical need for regulating potent medications. The term 'pink prescription' can be confusing, as its meaning varies significantly around the world, from a standard health insurance script in Germany to a slang term for powerful opioid pills in the U.S [1.2.1, 1.2.7].

In the UK, medicines are placed into three main legal categories that control their supply [1.6.3]. One of the most important is 'POM'. So, what does the p of pom stand for? It signifies **Prescription**, a critical designation for patient safety [1.2.4].