As you might be aware, the TGA has now provided a pathway to access vaping products, for the first time, within the Australian market.
Set to become official on the 1st of October 2021 but available to smokers and vapers today, gaining access to your vaping product, locally, is no longer a wish but a reality.
So, what are the steps you need to take to access vape products in Australia:
- Find a medical practitioner who is an Authorised Prescriber https://wildbyinstinct.com/pages/prescriptions
- Discuss your vaping needs with the Authorised Prescriber
- If the medical practitioner sees no medical issues, they will issue you a vaping script
The question you might be asking is why an Authorised Prescriber and not just my normal GP. The answer is quite simple, the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) requires medical practitioners to register with the TGA if they want to prescribe vaping products, and once they do, the TGA classifies them as an Authorised Prescriber.
The application for the medical practitioner is quite simple and the TGA normally responds with the Authorisation in less than a week. The Authorisation last up to 5 years.
Any doctor, Authorised or not, can prescribe a vaping product but only Authorised Prescribers can have them dispensed in Australia.
All other prescriptions can only be filled by purchasing vape products internationally. Orders without a prescription now and most definitely from October 1st, will not pass-through Australian Borders and your products will not be delivered to you.
It may sound a little daunting, a prescription from a doctor and a Pharmacy just to get my vape product but in reality, it’s not. Your prescription from an Authorised Prescriber can be written for a year, with set monthly repeats. Your vape product can be dispensed by a Pharmacy and shipped to your front door or you can arrange to pick it up from the Pharmacy.
A prescription from a non Authorised Prescriber, can only be written for a maximum of 3 months and a copy of your prescription has to present with the package as it enters the country.
Lastly, for your protection, the TGA has set standards for locally dispensed products, meaning they must be TGO 110 compliant. Products ordered and sent from overseas, do not have to comply with these standards.
So, getting an Authorised Prescriber prescription guarantees local access to vaping products that meet Australian Standards. It is a no brainer really.
Above is a great flow chart provided by NPS Medicinewise, which explains the new TGA Vaping process.
