Ontario budget 2023: Pharmacists set to be able to dispense medications for more common ailments

Just months after the Ontario government allowed pharmacists to issue prescriptions for common ailments, they are on track to be given the ability to provide treatments for several other conditions.

According to the 2023 budget plan tabled on Thursday, the expansion is set to take place in the fall.

RELATED: Ontario pharmacists will soon be able to prescribe medications for 13 common ailments

“Allowing pharmacists to prescribe over‐the-counter medication for common ailments has proven to be hugely popular, so the government is expanding it to make care more convenient for people and families,” the budget document stated.

If approved, pharmacists in Ontario could be able to dispense medications for the following potential conditions:

• Mild to moderate acne
• Canker sores
• Diaper dermatiti
• Yeast infections
• Pinworms
• Threadworms
• Nausea and vomiting during pregnancy

Under the initiative, residents can stop by participating pharmacies and receive prescriptions by showing their health card. People were encouraged to call their pharmacists first to confirm they are providing prescriptions.

As of Jan. 1, the Ontario government gave pharmacists the ability to provide medications that could treat 13 conditions:

• acid reflux (gastroesophageal reflux disease)
• cold sores (herpes labialis)
• dermatitis (atopic, eczema, allergic and contact)
• hay fever (allergic rhinitis)
• hemorrhoids
• impetigo
• insect bites and hives
• menstrual cramps (dysmenorrhea)
• oral thrush (candidal stomatitis)
• pink eye (conjunctivitis; bacterial, allergic and viral)
• sprains and strains (musculoskeletal)
• tick bites (post-exposure prophylaxis to prevent Lyme disease)
• urinary tract infections (UTIs)

Shortly after the Ontario government first announced the program, the Canadian Pharmacists Association praised the move and said the province was “playing catch-up” to other jurisdictions in the country.

“It’s not uncharted territory,” Danielle Paes, the organization’s chief pharmacist officer, said about the Ontario program at the time.

“In some of these provinces …they’ve been prescribing for well over a decade.”

With files from The Canadian Press