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Pharmacy medicine supervision — GPhC CRA MCQ

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HardPharmacy Law and EthicsPharmacy medicine supervisionGPhC CRA

A prescription requests 35 valproate 500 mg modified-release tablets. The product is marketed in packs of 30. There is no documented individual risk assessment justifying split-pack dispensing. What should the pharmacist do?

Educational content. Not a substitute for clinical judgement or local policy.

Reveal the answer and explanation

Correct answer: B — Dispense the single original pack and provide its complete patient information leaflet

Explanation lettering: B = shown as A · A = shown as B · E = shown as C · C = shown as E

A is correct: valproate-containing medicines should be supplied in complete original packs, rounded to the closest whole-pack quantity and accompanied by the PIL; 30 is closer to 35 than 60. B ignores the dedicated full-pack requirement and lacks the narrow individual risk-assessment exception. C is wrong because rounding is to the nearest full pack, not always upwards. D wrongly applies the general 10% rule instead of the valproate-specific regime. E is wrong because the prescription remains valid; dispensing rules govern the supplied amount.

Reference: MHRA: full-pack dispensing of valproate-containing medicines. https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/full-pack-dispensing-of-valproate-containing-medicines/full-pack-dispensing-of-valproate-containing-medicines