Healthcare Glossary

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Prescription only medicine (POM)

A treatment that must be prescribed by a doctor and is not licensed for sale to the general public. A prescription medication is a licensed medicine that is regulated by law to necessitate a medical prescription before it can be obtained. The term is used to differentiate it from over-the-counter drugs which can be accessed without a prescription. Different jurisdictions have different interpretations of what constitutes a prescription drug.

See also:
Off-label use
Licensed
Food And Drug Administration (FDA)
European Medicines Agency

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