Minor acne

Eligibility criteria and details

The pharmacist MAY PRESCRIBE a medication to treat minor acne (without nodules or pustules) if:

• The patient has already been diagnosed by the physician or assessed by a specialized nurse practitioner (SNP).
• A prescription for the condition has already been written.

The pharmacist CANNOT PRESCRIBE a medication if:

• More than 5 years have passed since the last treatment prescribed by another professional qualified to prescribe medication.

Unless there is clinical justification or a supply shortage, the pharmacist should normally re-prescribe the drug listed on the physician's or SNP's reference order. When prescribing a different drug, the pharmacist should ensure that the drug prescribed is in a class of drugs equal to or less potent than the drug originally prescribed by the physician or SNP.

If more than 5 years have passed since the last prescribed treatment or if this condition has never been diagnosed, the pharmacist may still prescribe or recommend an over-the-counter medication if the patient's clinical situation or any other circumstance justifies it.