# The Human Medicines (Authorisation by Pharmacists and Supervision by Pharmacy Technicians) Order 2025, Article 7: Exemptions from prohibition on sale or supply of medicinal products not subject to general sale: two types of authorisation of a pharmacist


(1) The Human Medicines Regulations 2012 are amended in accordance with paragraphs (2) to (4).
(2) In regulation 220 (sale or supply of medicinal products not subject to general sale), in paragraph (2), for sub-paragraph (c) substitute—
“(c) P or, if the transaction is carried out on P’s behalf by another person, that other person—
(i) is, or acts under the supervision of, a pharmacist, or
(ii) acts in accordance with regulation 220A or 220B.”.
(3) After regulation 220 insert—
“Authorisations given by pharmacists to registered pharmacy technicians
220A. (1) A person acts in accordance with this regulation if what that person does is done with due regard to patient safety, and—
(a) that person is a registered pharmacy technician who has the authorisation of a pharmacist to do it; or
(b) what that person does is done under the supervision of a registered pharmacy technician who has the authorisation of a pharmacist to supervise the doing of it.
(2) An authorisation given for the purposes of paragraph (1)—
(a) may be general or specific;
(b) may be given orally or in writing;
(c) may be given subject to conditions or restrictions; and
(d) may be varied or withdrawn by the pharmacist by whom it is given.
(3) An authorisation given for the purposes of—
(a) paragraph (1)(a) must state, in relation to anything it authorises a registered pharmacy technician to do, that it authorises the registered pharmacy technician to do it only at or from the registered pharmacy specified in the authorisation;
(b) paragraph (1)(b) must state, in relation to anything it authorises the registered pharmacy technician to supervise, that it authorises the registered pharmacy technician to supervise it only if it is done at or from the registered pharmacy specified in the authorisation.
(4) An authorisation given for the purposes of—
(a) paragraph (1)(a) may (among other things) authorise a registered pharmacy technician to carry out transactions that relate to prescriptions received at the registered pharmacy specified in the authorisation after the authorisation is given;
(b) paragraph (1)(b) may (among other things) authorise a registered pharmacy technician to supervise the carrying out of transactions that relate to prescriptions received at the registered pharmacy specified in the authorisation after the authorisation is given.
(5) In giving an authorisation for the purposes of paragraph (1)(a) or (b), a pharmacist must have due regard to patient safety.
(6) A failure to comply with paragraph (5)—
(a) does not affect the validity of the authorisation, but
(b) may constitute misconduct for the purposes of section 80 of the Medicines Act 1968 (power for relevant disciplinary committee to disqualify and direct removal from register) or article 51(1)(a) of the Pharmacy Order 2010 (impairment of fitness to practise) and the relevant disciplinary committee may deal with any such failure accordingly.
(7) This regulation does not apply in relation to Northern Ireland.”.
(4) Before regulation 221 insert—
“Sale or supply of items dispensed by a pharmacist who is absent or treated as absent
220B. (1) A person (P1) acts in accordance with this regulation where—
(a) the transaction relates to a medicinal product that has been dispensed by or under the supervision of a pharmacist (P2) and is ready for sale or supply to or for the person for whom it has been dispensed;
(b) P2 authorises P1 to carry out the transaction in question on P2’s behalf in P2’s absence; and
(c) P1 carries out that transaction on P2’s behalf—
(i) in P2’s absence, or
(ii) in circumstances where P2 is treated as being absent,
in accordance with any conditions or restrictions that P2 has imposed pursuant to sub-paragraph (b)(ii) or (iii) (and the authorisation has not been withdrawn).
(2) An authorisation given for the purposes of paragraph (1)(b)—
(a) may be given orally or in writing;
(b) may be given subject to conditions or restrictions; and
(c) may be varied or withdrawn by P2.
(3) In giving an authorisation for the purposes of paragraph (1)(b), P2 must have due regard to patient safety.
(4) A failure to comply with paragraph (3)—
(a) does not affect the validity of any authorisation, but
(b) may constitute misconduct for the purposes of section 80 of the Medicines Act 1968 (power for relevant disciplinary committee to disqualify and direct removal from register) or article 51(1)(a) of the Pharmacy Order 2010 (impairment of fitness to practise) and the relevant disciplinary committee may deal with any such failure accordingly.
(5) For the purposes of paragraph (1)(c)(ii), P2 is to be treated as being absent from premises that are a registered pharmacy if P2 is at the pharmacy but not available to intervene in, or not in a position to intervene in, the transaction in question.”.
(5) Pending the coming into force of paragraph (3), the amendment made by paragraph (2) applies as if the reference to regulation 220A were omitted.

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Source: https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukdsi/2025/9780348274202/article/7 (the official version)
Page: https://openlegislation.uk/draft-human-medicines-authorisation-by-pharmacists-and-supervision-by-pharmacy-technicians-order-2025/article-7
Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Source: legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives.