Tribunal cancels pharmacist’s registration, finds professional misconduct

12 Nov 2015

The State Administrative Tribunal of Western Australia has reprimanded pharmacist Mr David Brewster, cancelled his registration and disqualified him from reapplying for registration for one year.

The Pharmacy Board of Australia had referred Mr Brewster to the tribunal because of concerns about his dispensing drugs of dependence including anabolic steroids and schedule 4 medicines. The Board suspended Mr Brewster’s registration in October 2014, as an interim step to keep the public safe, pending other enquiries.

Ahead of the tribunal hearing, Mr Brewster admitted to professional misconduct for:

• twice between August and November 2013, supplying labels to act as dispensing labels for Stilnox and Alprazolam medications to a person, for use on containers of medications held by the person but which were not dispensed by him or Hollywood Pharmacy
• supplying large volumes of anabolic steroids without valid prescriptions and notification to the proper authorities
• selling or supplying Pseudoephedrine products without the relevant documentation being completed, in breach of the Poisons Regulations 1965
• importing Schedule 4 medicines from overseas suppliers between June 2013 and July 2014, including Modafinil 200mg tablets, which bypassed the Australian Therapeutic Goods Framework and were not on the Australian Register of Therapeutic Goods, in breach of section 19B of the Therapeutic Goods Act 1989; and
• making no record of the supply of the Modafinil to an unidentified WA based doctor.

On 25 August 2015, the Tribunal found Mr Brewster engaged in professional misconduct, cancelled his registration, reprimanded him and ordered him to pay $8,000 in costs to the Board.

The reasons for the tribunal’s decision are on the State Administrative Tribunal (WA) website and will be published on Austlii.

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Download a PDF of the Media release - WA Tribunal cancels pharmacists registration - 12 November 2015 (76.4 KB,PDF).