Citation, commencement and interpretation

1.—(1) These Regulations may be cited as the General Medical Services (Amendment) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2003 and shall come into operation on 1st February 2003.

(2) In these Regulations “the principal Regulations” means the General Medical Services Regulations (Northern Ireland) 1997(3).

Amendment of Schedule 10 of the principal Regulations

2.  In Schedule 10 to the principal Regulations (drugs and other substances not to be prescribed for supply under pharmaceutical services), the following entries shall be omitted–

• Fabrol Granules

• Fluimucil Granules

• Methylcisteine Tablets 100mg

• Mucodyne Capsules

• Mucodyne Syrup

• Mucodyne Forte Syrup

• Mucodyne Forte Tablets

• Mucodyne Pediatric Syrup

• Visclair Tablets.

Amendment of Schedule 11 of the principal Regulations

3.  In Schedule 11 to the principal Regulations (drugs and other substances to be prescribed for supply under pharmaceutical services only in certain circumstances)–

(a)omit “Acetylesteine Granules” in column 1 and the entries in columns 2 and 3 which relate to that entry;

(b)omit “Carbocisteine” in column 1 and the entries in columns 2 and 3 which relate to that entry; and

(c)after “Apomorphine Hydrochloride (Uprima)” in columns 1 and 2 respectively insert in each of those columns “, Tadalafil (Cialis)”.

Explanatory Note

(This note is not part of the Regulations.)

These Regulations further amend the General Medical Services Regulations (Northern Ireland) 1997 (“the principal Regulations”) which regulate the terms on which doctors provide general medical services under the Health and Personal Social Services (Northern Ireland) Order 1972.

The Regulations make changes to Schedules 10 and 11 to the principal Regulations, which list drugs which may not be prescribed or may only be prescribed in certain circumstances.

Regulations 2 and 3(a) and (b) remove certain oral mucolytic drugs from Schedules 10 and 11 to the principal Regulations. This has the effect that those drugs may now be prescribed under pharmaceutical services.

Regulation 3(c) includes Cialis in Schedule 11 to the principal Regulations. This has the effect that this drug may only be prescribed under pharmaceutical services in the circumstances specified in that Schedule.