Manitoba Prescribing Practices Program (M3P)

The following explains key changes to the prescribing of M3P drugs, effective June 1, 2024:

  1. Physicians no longer need to complete an “M3P application form” before prescribing M3P medications. In short, physicians with a valid CPSM licence (Certificate of Practice), may prescribe M3P drugs if this is within their scope of practice (i.e., they possess adequate knowledge, skills, and clinical judgement to prescribe M3P medications safely), and they have no specific prescribing restrictions from CPSM. Note that while buprenorphine and methadone are M3P medications, they still require the relevant prescribing approval from the Registrar, as per the CPSM Practice Direction for Prescribing Methadone or Buprenorphine/naloxone.
  2. The personalized M3P prescription booklets (also known as triplicate or duplicate pads) that physicians previously ordered are no longer available. Registrants may continue to use any previously obtained personalized M3P prescription pads until they are depleted. 
  3. Registrants can review the new M3P Prescription Guidance: Requirements & Recommended Templates available in the CPSM Portal. This document outlines M3P-specific prescribing requirements and provides prescription template examples. M3P prescriptions may be either electronically generated or handwritten and can be transmitted: 
    • From the prescriber directly to a specific pharmacy via fax,
    • From the prescriber sent via a closed e-prescribing system to a specific pharmacy, or
    • Be handed to a patient to take to a pharmacy of their choice. 

All prescriptions handed to patients must be signed in ink. For prescriptions transmitted by fax or by an e-prescribing system, an electronic signature is sufficient.

4.  Although not required, CPSM strongly recommends physicians use M3P prescription templates to ensure all required information is present on every M3P prescription. This ultimately minimizes the need for pharmacist-prescriber correspondence to clarify prescriptions and prevents delays in patient care.

Please note that the M3P guidance and templates are not publicly accessible to prevent prescription forgeries. As with any prescription pads, please ensure these templates (in electronic or hard-copy format) are stored securely to minimize the risk of prescription forgery.