Who Can Prescribe Natural Medicine In Australia?

Since the Australian Federal Government first legalised access to natural medicine back in 2016, hundreds of alternative medicines have become available. 

The supply of prescription natural medicine and alternative therapies within Australia is regulated by the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA). With most natural medicine and alternative therapy products falling under the ‘unregistered drugs’ category, prescription requires approval under the TGA Special Access Scheme (SAS), or as an Authorised Prescriber (AP). 

Natural medicine can be prescribed by any medical doctor in Australia, provided that it is clinically appropriate, and that there is evidence supporting the use of natural medicine for the patient’s treatment. Nurse Practitioners are also able to prescribe natural medicine in certain states or territories. 

Although natural medicines can be prescribed by any doctor, it is important that you find a doctor who not only understands it in depth, but has also undergone additional training specifically for alternative therapies and natural medicine. 

Authorisation Pathways For Prescribing Natural Medicine

Should a practitioner wish to prescribe a natural medicine product that is not registered on the ARTG, they will need to gain approval from the TGA in one of two ways: 

1. Special Access Scheme 

OR 

2. Authorised Prescriber Scheme

Special Access Scheme 

The Special Access Scheme gives a practitioner the opportunity to apply for the ability to prescribe unapproved natural medicine products to a single patient. When applying for the Special Access Scheme, the practitioner must outline the following: 

• Who the patient is and what their condition is.
• How prescribing the unapproved product will improve the patient’s condition. 
• How the practitioner will assess the patient’s response to the treatment. 

There are 3 categories that determine how a practitioner can prescribe an unapproved natural medicine product for a patient: 

1. Category A 
2. Category B 
3. Category C 

Special Access Scheme: Category A 

An unapproved therapeutic good can be prescribed for a patient who is classified as seriously ill. TGA defines seriously ill as a condition from which death is reasonably likely to occur within a matter of months, or from which premature death is reasonably likely to occur in the absence of early treatment¹. 

In order to prescribe a patient with natural medicine under Category A, the prescriber must be a medical practitioner. 

Special Access Scheme: Category B 

This pathway, also known as the SAS-B pathway, allows practitioners to submit an application using clinical justification for the use of prescription natural medicine and the benefits for a particular patient². If a practitioner doesn’t have experience with a specific unapproved therapeutic good or a condition, they must receive a letter of support from an appropriate specialist. The goods a practitioner can prescribe will depend on a few factors, including: 

• Qualifications
• The condition being treated
• Requirements of the state/territory they practise in
• Scope of the practitioner’s practice
• The provision of a brief clinical justification that supports the use of the prescribed product for the patient’s condition

Authorised Prescriber Scheme (AP)

The Authorised Prescriber Scheme gives a practitioner the opportunity to apply for the ability to prescribe an unapproved natural medicine product to multiple patients³. Any Australian registered medical practitioner can apply to become an AP, however this pathway is not available to Nurse Practitioners.

Authorised Prescribers can prescribe unapproved products and will not need to seek approval for each individual patient they are prescribing the medication to. An Authorised Prescriber is required to report on: 

• Suspected product defects
• Any undesired effects caused by the products
• The total amount of patients they have treated every 6 months in a calendar year

Applications are generally approved in 10 business days, and once a practitioner has been approved to be an Authorised Prescriber, they may prescribe the unapproved product to patients in their care. 

Regulations Around Prescribing Natural Medicine

With such a high number of natural medicine products now available, a large percentage of them have not yet been assessed for safety by the Therapeutic Goods Association (TGA). As a result, products that are yet to be assessed are not eligible to be registered on the Australian Register of Therapeutic Goods (ARTG)⁵. 

The ARTG is a public database outlining the therapeutic goods available to us in Australia, as well as ensuring their safety, effectiveness, and quality. To prescribe natural medicine products that are not listed on the ARTG, practitioners are required to gain approval from the TGA. 

State Specific Regulations

Each state has different rules and regulations pertaining to who can prescribe natural medicine to patients. 

To find out the specific regulations within your state, read on. 

Who can prescribe natural medicine in Western Australia? 

All medical practitioners within WA are able to prescribe natural medicine products. However, prior to prescribing any natural medicine products that aren’t registered with the TGA, prescribers must obtain approval from the TGA. 

State approval is not necessary for the prescription of Schedule 4 natural medicine products. 

Learn more about prescription natural medicine access in Western Australia.

Who can prescribe natural medicine in the Northern Territory? 

In the Northern Territory, only an NT-based doctor is able to prescribe natural medicine products. Before prescribing natural medicine, the practitioner must first receive authorisation under the Authorised Prescriber Scheme or the Special Access Scheme. 

A practitioner does not need to seek NT authorisation to prescribe Schedule 4 products. 

Learn more about prescription natural medicine access in the Northern Territory. 

Who can prescribe natural medicine in South Australia? 

Medical practitioners within SA can apply to prescribe unapproved natural medicine products through the TGA. Medical practitioners must fulfill both Commonwealth and South Australian Controlled Substances legislative requirements in order to be deemed eligible to prescribe natural medicine. 

If the medical practitioner is prescribing natural medicine for a patient displaying a condition that they are not an expert in, depending on the circumstances, the practitioner may be required to seek a report from a specialist commenting on the effectiveness and suitability of natural medicine in the patient’s treatment. 

While no state-based approval is necessary for a practitioner to prescribe Schedule 4 products, a Section18A authority is required when a practitioner wishes to prescribe a Schedule 8 medication to a patient under the following conditions: 

• The product is being prescribed for longer than 2 months
• The patient has already been prescribed a Schedule 8 drug for a period longer than 2 months
• The prescriber has reason to believe that the patient has a dependency on drugs

Learn more about prescription natural medicine access in South Australia. 

Who can prescribe natural medicine in Queensland? 

Both Queensland medical practitioners and medical practitioners based in other states that are prescribing to Queensland-based patients are eligible to prescribe natural medicine, provided that they hold TGA approval.  Queensland doctors can prescribe Schedule 4 and Schedule 8 products without Queensland State approval⁶.

Learn more about prescription natural medicine access in Queensland. 

Who can prescribe natural medicine in New South Wales? 

Any registered medical practitioner within NSW is eligible to legally prescribe natural medicine if they believe it is a suitable treatment for their patient, and if they receive approval from the TGA. 

The prescription of Schedule 4 medications do not require approval from the TGA, however approval from the TGA is required before a practitioner can prescribe a Schedule 8 prescription natural medicine medicine. 

As of September 2019, a practitioner must submit an application to NSW Health for the prescription of a Schedule 8 prescription natural medication where it is required for: 

• A person with a drug dependency
• A clinical trial
• A child under the age of 16

Learn more about prescription natural medicine access in New South Wales. 

Who can prescribe prescription natural medicine in the ACT? 

To be eligible to prescribe natural medicine in the ACT, practitioners are required to receive approval from both the TGA and the Chief Health Officer of the ACT. They must also obtain Special Access Scheme approval before prescribing natural medicine to any patients. 

Under the ACT Controlled Medicines Prescribing Standards, natural medicine can be approved for the following conditions and symptoms: 

• Spasticity as a result of multiple sclerosis (MS)
• Nausea and vomiting caused by chemotherapy
• Anxiety and pain from a life-limiting disease with a prognosis of 12 months or less. 
• Refractory paediatric epilepsy

Applications for other conditions will be reviewed on a case-by-case basis, and may be referred to the Medicinal Cannabis Medical Advisory Panel for further advice. 

Learn more about prescription natural medicine access in the ACT. 

Who can prescribe natural medicine in Victoria? 

Any medical practitioner is able to prescribe natural medicine to any patient with any condition, provided that they have obtained the required TGA and state approvals, and they believe it is a clinically appropriate treatment option⁷. 

If a medical practitioner wishes to prescribe an unapproved natural medicine product to one patient, they can apply to do so under the Special Access Scheme. If they wish to prescribe one natural medicine product to patients with the same condition, they can apply to become an Authorised Prescriber of the product through the TGA. 

If the patient receiving treatment has a drug dependency, the prescriber is required to obtain a Schedule 8 Treatment Permit under the Victorian Drugs Poisons and Controlled Substances Act. 

Learn more about prescription natural medicine access in Victoria. 

Who can prescribe natural medicine in Tasmania? 

In the event that conventional treatments and medications have failed, the Tasmanian Government has acknowledged that it is appropriate for a registered medical practitioner to prescribe a trial of an unregistered natural medicine product. 

Under the Tasmanian Government’s Controlled Access Scheme (CAS)⁸, relevant medical practitioners are authorised to prescribe natural medicine. Through this scheme, prescription natural medicine can only be prescribed under limited circumstances where conventional treatments have otherwise been unsuccessful in treating the patient’s condition. 

Learn more about prescription natural medicine access in Tasmania. 

Forms of Prescription Natural Medicine Clinicians Can Prescribe

There are a range of different products clinicians may choose to prescribe to their patients, with some of the most popular being: 

• Dried flower products
• Oils 
• Edibles
• Creams 
• Sprays 

Your prescribing practitioner will determine which method will be most effective in treating your symptoms. It is also important to note that each product will have a different onset, effect, and duration of action on each person.