Tasmanian pharmacies have been warned to be on the lookout for forged electronic prescriptions for Schedule 8 opioids like fentanyl and morphine.
The Department of Health’s Pharmaceutical Services Branch (PSB) has advised that the prescriptions include the details of Dr Premjeet Singh, with an address listed in New South Wales and a PBS Prescriber Number of 2058302.
Acting Chief Pharmacist Sam Halliday said federal authorities are investigating the incident and working to prevent any further forged electronic prescriptions from being created.
“PSB is aware of a legitimate prescription being issued by this NSW prescriber being issued in Tasmania,” he said in a notice to pharmacies.
“If an electronic prescription is presented at your pharmacy that includes these details, practitioners and their support staff are advised to contact the prescriber to confirm whether the prescription has been legitimately issued to a known patient.”
Halliday said any fraudulent prescriptions presented at pharmacies should be reported to Tasmania Police, the PSB or ADHA at [email protected].
“By reporting lost, stolen or forged prescriptions, you may help reduce harm in our community due to the trafficking of drugs subject to misuse, such as opioid analgesics, sourced through fraudulent prescriptions,” he said.
“This fraudulent activity is a timely reminder that while electronic prescriptions generally provide a more efficient, safer and secure method of transfer of prescriptions than paper, these systems can also be subject to unsanctioned use.”
