DHA Pharmacist UAE Drug Regulations 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: What is the UAE's 'Haad' (Department of Health Abu Dhabi) equivalent for drug pricing in Dubai?
- DHA regulates pharmacy pricing and profit margins in Dubai alongside federal MOHAP price lists (Correct answer)
- Dubai Municipality sets drug prices
- Prices are set freely by manufacturers in Dubai
- Only the UAE Central Bank regulates drug prices
Correct answer: DHA regulates pharmacy pricing and profit margins in Dubai alongside federal MOHAP price lists
DHA in Dubai, working with federal MOHAP price lists, regulates pharmaceutical pricing and permissible profit margins to ensure affordability and market consistency.
Question 2: Which schedule of UAE drug regulation covers medications available only with a prescription?
- Prescription-Only Medicines (POM) classification under MOHAP scheduling (Correct answer)
- Schedule I controlled substances only
- Over-the-counter (OTC) category
- Veterinary drug schedule
Correct answer: Prescription-Only Medicines (POM) classification under MOHAP scheduling
MOHAP classifies prescription-only medicines under the POM category, requiring a valid prescription for dispensing based on their safety profile and potential for misuse.
Question 3: What must a pharmacist do with an expired medication returned by a patient in the UAE?
- Follow MOHAP-approved pharmaceutical waste disposal procedures; never put in regular waste (Correct answer)
- Dispense it to another patient if it is only slightly past expiry
- Sell it at a discounted price
- Return it to the patient without guidance
Correct answer: Follow MOHAP-approved pharmaceutical waste disposal procedures; never put in regular waste
UAE regulations require expired medications to be disposed of through MOHAP-approved channels to prevent environmental harm and misuse; ordinary waste disposal is prohibited.
Question 4: What is the consequence under UAE law for a pharmacist found to be involved in diverting controlled substances?
- Criminal prosecution, imprisonment, fines, and permanent license revocation (Correct answer)
- A written warning only
- Community service without license action
- A temporary license suspension of one week
Correct answer: Criminal prosecution, imprisonment, fines, and permanent license revocation
UAE federal law treats controlled substance diversion as a serious criminal offence; penalties include imprisonment, substantial fines, and permanent revocation of the pharmacist's license.
Question 5: In the UAE, what is required before a hospital can start using a new drug not yet on the approved hospital formulary?
- A formal therapeutic committee review and approval process within the facility (Correct answer)
- A doctor's verbal request is sufficient
- Automatic approval once MOHAP registers the drug nationally
- The manufacturer's promotional materials are enough
Correct answer: A formal therapeutic committee review and approval process within the facility
UAE hospital policies, aligned with DHA and DOH standards, require formal Pharmacy and Therapeutics (P&T) committee review and approval before adding new drugs to the hospital formulary.
Question 6: What is the UAE's approach to drug advertisement directed at the general public?
- Only OTC drugs can be advertised to the public, and all advertising must be pre-approved by MOHAP (Correct answer)
- Any drug can be advertised on TV without restriction
- Prescription drug advertising is freely permitted online
- No drug advertising is allowed in the UAE
Correct answer: Only OTC drugs can be advertised to the public, and all advertising must be pre-approved by MOHAP
MOHAP regulations permit only OTC drug advertising to the general public and require pre-approval of advertising content to ensure accuracy, safety, and absence of misleading claims.
DHA Pharmacist UAE Drug Regulations 2
What is the UAE's 'Haad' (Department of Health Abu Dhabi) equivalent for drug pricing in Dubai?