The Australian Medical Association (AMA) and the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Ophthalmologists (RANZCO) strongly disagree with the decision to reschedule Chloramphenicol eye drops from the Schedule 4 listing to a Schedule 3 medication.
Schedule 4 medications are prescribed by registered medical practitioners or endorsed optometrists. Schedule 3 medications are available to the public from a pharmacist without a prescription.
RANZCO President, Dr Richard Stawell, said today that Chloramphenicol is one of the most frequently used antibiotics prescribed by ophthalmologists.
“Its use should be reserved for bacterial eye infections or to prevent serious infection, postoperatively, and it is very important that it is not used indiscriminately,” Dr Stawell said.
“The AMA and RANZCO have major concerns that pharmacists will be guiding patients in the use of Chloramphenicol. Pharmacists have not been trained to be competent in diagnosing eye disease and do not have the appriopriate equipment to properly examine an eye.
“There is great variety of different causes of a red discharging eye. It is very easy for an incorrect diagnosis to be made, and the wrong drug prescribed. Some eye diseases can cause irreversible loss of sight,” Dr Stawell said.
AMA President, Dr Andrew Pesce, said that first-line eye care is the domain of general practitioners and optometrists, who are readily accessible to patients.
“General practitioners have been specifically trained in clinical diagnosis and appropriate drug use,” Dr Pesce said.
“It takes many years to train a medical practitioner to assess, diagnose and treat eye conditions properly. Pharmacists have not been similarly trained.
“Both the AMA and RANZCO strongly advised against the rescheduling of Chloramphenicol, and we strongly disagree with this decision, which is not in the best interests of people in need of specialised care for their eye conditions,” Dr Pesce said.
Source
Australian Medical Association