Forgeries

Healthcare professionals have professional and ethical responsibilities to take steps to address forgeries to help support appropriate medication use and prevent medication diversion, maintain the integrity of the medication delivery system and lessen related public health risks.

Whether you are a prescriber or dispenser, all confirmed forgeries for TPP-monitored medications should be reported to the Tracked Prescription Program (TPP) Alberta. TPP Alberta will complete appropriate documentation and provide you with specific steps to take. Please include as much detail as possible when reporting a prescription forgery.

Information for Dispensers

If you suspect or can confirm that you’ve received a forged prescription, please follow the guidance provided by the Alberta College of Pharmacy. It is highly encouraged to contact and collaborate with the prescriber and/or other healthcare professional(s) involved.

If the forged prescription has been dispensed, it must be reported to local law enforcement immediately and to the Office of Controlled Substances no later than 10 working days after its discovery. For more information, visit the Health Canada website.

Information for Prescribers

If you are alerted of a suspected forged prescription using your TPP prescription form, it’s important to confirm the forgery by:

Requesting a copy of the forged prescription from the pharmacy.
Identifying any discrepancies from legitimate prescriptions under your name.
Documenting the forgery in your records, including date and time of presentation to the pharmacy and patient information.

It is highly encouraged to collaborate with the pharmacy that received and/or filled the forged prescription, including:

Sharing applicable details with the pharmacy staff so that they can identify possible future forgeries under your name.
Providing direction to the pharmacy staff on the steps you would like taken for suspected forgeries received under your name in the future (e.g. how best to contact you for verification).
Confirm who will complete notifications, as appropriate, to:
- Law enforcement
- The Alberta College of Pharmacy
- Health Canada

See forgery FAQs

Report a forgery

Report a confirmed forgery of a TPP-monitored medication to TPP Alberta.

Report a forgery

Keep your pad safe

Tips for keeping your TPP pad secure, and what to do if it’s lost or stolen.

Pad Safety Guide

Best practices in prescribing

While it may seem like a given, remember the first step before providing any patient care is to confirm the identity of the patient. If the patient hasn’t been positively identified, subsequent phases of care could negatively impact patient outcomes (and even public safety).

Unless you personally know the patient, it is best practice to view their picture identification. If one is not available, two pieces of secondary identification should suffice (e.g., AHCIP card, birth certificate, marriage certificate). Documenting identity verification in the patient record is also recommended.

Identity verification should also be conducted on subsequent patient visits if you are unfamiliar with the patient. Open-ended questions requesting details such as their address, phone number and date of birth could also be asked.

Missing this simple step could result in misprescribing, similar to what occurred between January 2007 and January 2013 in British Columbia, when an impersonator obtained over 250 prescriptions for narcotics from multiple physicians and had them filled at 34 different pharmacy locations.

Common drugs implicated in prescription forgeries include acetaminophen with codeine (e.g., Tylenol 3 & 4), benzodiazepines/z drugs (e.g., bromazepam, zopiclone), lisdexamfetamine dimesylate (Vyvanse) and gabapentin.

Medication List

Comprehensive list of medications monitored by TPP Alberta

Learn More