In March 2026, the Irish Medical Council (“IMC”) and the Pharmaceutical Society of Ireland (“PSI”) updated their joint guidance on Safe Prescribing and Dispensing of Controlled Drugs (“Guidance”).

The Guidance is a joint initiative between the IMC and PSI in order to support both medical practitioners and pharmacists with the prescribing and dispensing of controlled drugs in Schedule 2 (Opiate substances), Schedule 3 (Certain Benzodiazepines and painkillers) and Schedule 4 Part 1 (Most Benzodiazepines and ‘Z-drugs’). It serves as a practical tool to facilitate prescribers and pharmacists in interpreting Irish controlled drugs legislation. The Guidance includes the legal requirements for valid prescriptions, the obligations of both prescribers and pharmacists, rules around repeat prescriptions, instalments and emergency supply of controlled drugs and the importance of communication and collaboration, particularly for high risk patients.

It further aims to encourage best practice and raise and promote high levels of professional standards in the treatment of patients. As stated in the Guidance, it should be used by all prescribers and pharmacists in the collaborative, safe and effective care of patients. The Guidance is primarily aimed at professionals working in a primary care setting.

Changes in the Guidance

The key change relates to Appendix 1 of the Guidance, which provides examples of compliant prescriptions for Schedule 2 (Opiate substances) and 3 (Certain Benzodiazepines and painkillers) controlled drugs. Appendix 1 has been updated in response to feedback received and includes examples specifying the opioid formulations of morphine sulphate as prolonged-release oral preparations, to avoid any potential ambiguity around how these preparations should be described on a prescription.

In addition, there have been minor updates to formatting and design, but no substantive changes to the guidance content beyond the Appendix 1 amendment.

Conclusion

The PSI advises that in order to maintain best practice and patient safety around controlled drug dispensing, both medical practitioners and pharmacists should review the updated guidance and ensure previous versions are replaced.

Medical practitioners should also be aware of their obligations under Chapter 35 of the IMC Guide to Professional Conduct & Ethics for Registered Medical Practitioners (9^th Edition 2024) in relation to prescribing controlled drugs, and pharmacists should refer to the PSI Code of Conduct – Professional Principles, Standards and Ethics for Pharmacists (2019).

The updated Guidance can be found here: Safe Prescribing and Dispensing of Controlled Drugs, Joint Guidance Medical Council and Pharmaceutical Society of Ireland, Version 4, March 2026 .