What to expect
CPSBC is committed to your protection and safety.
This is a summary of what you can expect of your physician in situations when they sell or dispense a drug to you.
General expectations
It is generally expected that your physician will not sell or dispense drugs, as this service is most often provided by a pharmacist. However, there are certain situations where your physician may be best suited to sell or dispense a drug to you.
Your physician may sell or dispense a drug to you when
- the drug is needed for immediate administration by the physician as part of an acute treatment or therapeutic procedure performed by the physician,
- the drug is needed in an unpredictable and emergent situation,
- you are accessing the drug as part of a highly specialized treatment that cannot be accessed at your local pharmacy,
- you are accessing the drug for a lower price than what you may be able to obtain elsewhere, or
- you are accessing the drug from your physician through Health Canada’s Special Access Program.
Information sharing expectations
Before selling or dispensing a drug to you, your physician must always let you know if it is available elsewhere, and provide you with the option of purchasing the drug from a pharmacy of your choice.
Pricing expectations
Physicians must not sell a drug at a price greater than the actual price they paid, plus reasonable and justifiable handling costs such as shipping and storage of the drug.