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By paNOW Staff

expanded training

New training for pharmacists to substitute medications

Aug 19, 2025 | 10:52 AM

Saskatchewan pharmacists are becoming more equipped to handle a supply disruption or shortage of a prescribed drug.

The province announced training will allow pharmacists to prescribe alternative medications under conditions approved by the Saskatchewan College of Pharmacy Professionals (SCPP).

“Pharmacists are trusted, highly skilled health professionals, who, in many communities, are the primary access point for health-care services,” Health Minister Jeremy Cockrill said. “Giving pharmacists the ability to prescribe alternative medications means Saskatchewan patients can benefit from more timely and accessible health care.”

Pharmacists will be required to take training and meet competency requirements as established by the Saskatchewan College of Pharmacy Professionals and follow mandatory guidelines.

“Therapeutic substitution under Advanced Prescribing A enables pharmacists to respond more effectively to medication availability and patient needs,” SCPP President Scott Livingstone said. “By supporting access to equivalent therapies when a prescribed product is unavailable, this change helps minimize treatment delays and disruptions in care.”

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Pharmacists will have the ability to prescribe an alternative drug under other circumstances. That includes when a drug is officially withdrawn from the market; the patient’s safety is at risk and the prescriber cannot be reached in a reasonable timeframe. This would also happen in case a patient is unable to take the initial drug and would benefit from a different drug with an alternative dosage or way of administering it, such as by mouth instead of by injection.

To date, nine other provinces and territories have implemented similar policies concerning therapeutic substitution.

Saskatchewan’s nearly 1,300 practising community pharmacists were first granted the authority to prescribe for four minor ailments in 2012. Since then, the list has grown to more than 30 conditions.

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panews@pattisonmedia.com