Regulation and innovation in practice – Not a “drug interaction”?

Recently there has been a lot of discussion about establishing a full scope of pharmacy practice as the new standard.1 A full scope includes identifying the need for, selecting and prescribing, monitoring, optimizing and discontinuing drug therapy. This comprehensive practice, which includes prescribing, ordering laboratory tests, administering injections and disease management, is not the reality in most provinces. Some pharmacists claim that pharmacy regulators (the “Colleges” of Pharmacy) are holding back the profession. Is it really the Colleges that are holding us back, or is that merely yet another excuse put up by pharmacists? What is the role of our Colleges in practice innovation? Are you surprised to see the words “regulation” and “innovation” in the same sentence? Let’s examine the role of regulation and pharmacy practice