Schedule H1 Drugs: Record-Keeping Every Pharmacy Should Follow

Schedule H1 covers certain antibiotics, anti-TB drugs and other medicines where misuse could lead to resistance or abuse. Because of this, the rules for selling them are stricter than for ordinary Schedule H drugs.

A Schedule H1 drug may be sold only against a valid prescription from a registered medical practitioner. The pharmacy must also keep a separate Schedule H1 register. For each sale, the register should record the name and address of the prescriber, the name and address of the patient, the name of the drug and the quantity supplied.

These records must be kept for three years and must be available when a Drugs Control Officer inspects the premises. A missing or incomplete register is one of the most common findings during inspections.

Practical tips for pharmacists:

Keep the H1 register separate from your general sales records, and fill it in at the time of sale, not at the end of the day.

Never sell H1 drugs without a prescription, even to regular customers.

Retain the prescription itself, and make sure it is legible and carries the prescriber’s registration details.

Train every counter staff member on these rules, not just the pharmacist in charge.

Good records protect your licence, and they also support the wider effort against antimicrobial resistance.