Direct Dispensing Of Antibiotics By Community Pharmacists In France (cystitis / Strep Throat)

• By: MORZADEC, Carine (French Chamber of Pharmacists, France)
• Co-author(s): Mrs Carine WOLF-THAL (French Chamber of Pharmacists - National Council, Paris, France)
  Mr Alain DELGUTTE (French Chamber of Pharmacists - National Council, Paris, France)
  
• Abstract:

  In the past few years in France, a number of measures have been taken to enlarge the role of community pharmacists in the field of strep throats and cystitis, via cooperation protocols in a coordinated practice structure (with a doctor who delegates the prescription to the pharmacist), or "conditional prescriptions" (written by the doctor subject to a positive test result). In 2023, 10,000 of the 20,142 French community pharmacies carried out at least one rapid strep test for a sore throat in 2023, compared with 6,000 in 2022.
  These measures have not been widely implemented, due to various obstacles.
  The Health Insurance 2024 Budget Law introduced an ambitious measure allowing community pharmacists to dispense directly antibiotics after performing a rapid strep test for cystitis and strep throat, outside a cooperation protocol and without the condition of coordinated practice.
  This short oral presentation or poster will describe this measure and its implementation. A number of regulatory texts are expected shortly, setting out the drugs concerned, the associated indications, the rapid strep tests to be performed and the results required to dispense the necessary treatments without a prescription, as well as the remuneration conditions.
  This is a major development in France, in line with the FIP statement on point of care testing.