Viktoriia Yanchuk/ Alamy Stock Photo
Pharmacists should be enabled to play a much greater role in the prevention of substance use disorders (SUDs), the International Pharmaceutical Federation (FIP) has said.
In a policy statement published on 2 September 2026, FIP said pharmacists were in an ideal place to support prevention of SUDs and reduce harms associated with non-medicinal use of psychoactive substances, which include psychoactives used in a way that is inconsistent with prescribing instructions or clinical guidance, or by people for whom the medicine was not prescribed or obtained fraudulently.
Pharmacists can help with the prevention and early identification of SUDS through medicines review to identify patterns of “risky or inappropriate” substance use, the policy statement noted.
It also said that pharmacists can help with education on safer use, as well as referral to other support services, adding that where legislation permits, harm reduction services can include provision of sterile injecting equipment and naloxone.
In the policy statement, FIP called upon governments to “engage with pharmacists and their professional associations to identify any barriers and maximise pharmacists’ contributions to nationally appropriate harm reduction services”.
It also recommended that governments should remove “unnecessary regulatory barriers to pharmacist provision of opioid antagonists such as naloxone”.
In the UK, naloxone is a prescription-only medication, but pharmacists and pharmacy technicians are among named professionals who can provide a take-home naloxone supply without a prescription.
FIP also called for governments to “facilitate access to shared digital patient records for pharmacists to support them to reduce harm from adult non-medicinal use of drugs”.
Andrew Gray, co-chair of FIP’s policy committee, said: “Supporting people affected by SUDs requires compassion, collaboration and evidence-based care.
“This statement recognises that pharmacists can make a meaningful contribution, not only through treatment support, but also by preventing problems before they develop, empowering patients and strengthening integrated care pathways within their communities.”
Tase Oputu, president of the Royal College of Pharmacy (RCPharm), commented: “This is an area where RCPharm has consistently called for pharmacy to play a greater role in preventing harm and drug-related deaths.
“Pharmacy teams are well placed to support people affected by substance use, but we need to make better use of that opportunity by ensuring they have the training, resources and links with wider health and social care services to provide effective, person-centred care.
“This should include access to appropriate harm reduction interventions, such as naloxone, alongside tools to identify and support those with emerging substance misuse.”
Read more: ‘Pharmacy’s role in harm reduction in individuals with substance use disorder’
