Drugs requiring initiation by a specialist, but with the potential to transfer to primary care, within written and agreed shared care frameworks, and according to the agreed process for transfer of care. Transfer to primary care is expected to be the normal practice. Those drugs:

  • Requiring short or medium term specialist monitoring of efficacy
  • Requiring short or medium term specialist monitoring of toxicity
  • Requiring specialist assessment to enable patient selection

If the general practitioner is unwilling to accept the responsibility for prescribing the amber drug, then the consultant should be informed within one week of receipt of the framework. In such cases the GP must provide information to the consultant of all medical information regarding the patient and any changes to the patient’s medication irrespective of indication.

Documents marked with an  (*) require review. Please contact a specialist for further information.
Documents marked with (**) are valid until January 2022 as approved by HERPC May 2021.

Drug Name BNF Classification and Indication
Anastrazole Chemoprevention of Familial Breast Cancer
Apomorphine Dopaminergic drug – Parkinson’s disease
Ciclosporin in Renal Transplant Renal
Cinacalcet Secondary hyperparathyroidism in end stage Renal disease
Degarelix Treatment of adult male patients with advanced hormone-dependent prostate cancer
Denosumab Primary and secondary prevention of osteoporotic fractures in postmenopausal women
Fulvestrant Breast Cancer
Grazax Treatment of grass pollen allergies
Isocarboxazid Treatment of depressive illness
Mycophenolate Mofetil or Mycophenolic Acid (Myfortic) Post Solid Organ Transplant Post renal transplant
Phenelzine Treatment of depressive illness
Raloxifiene Chemoprevention of famillial breast cancer
Sandostatin Analogues Management of High Output Stoma (Off label Use)
Sirolimus Immunosuppressant post renal transplant
Tacrolimus Immunosuppression post transplant
Tamoxifen Chemoprevention of familial breast cancer
Testosterone Treatment of male hypogonadism and menopausal symptoms in women
Tranylcypromine Treatment of depressive illness