Behind the Pharmacy Counter: Prescriptions, Over-the-Counter Medicine and Controlled Drugs in Malaysia

One customer asks for cough medicine at the pharmacy counter and is served immediately. Another asks for antibiotics for a sore throat and is asked to show a doctor’s prescription first. Both transactions happen at the same pharmacy, on the same day — the difference lies in how the law classifies the medicine, not in the pharmacist’s discretion.

That classification comes from an act that is now more than seven decades old: Akta Racun 1952 (Akta 366).

Why some medicines can be sold and others cannot

Akta Racun 1952 places every “poison” — a legal term that covers most medicinal substances, not merely toxic ones — into several groups under Jadual Pertama of the act. The three groups the public encounters most often at a pharmacy are Group A, B and C.

Group	Who may sell it	Is a prescription required?	Provision
Group A	Licensed wholesaler to licensed pharmacist only (or for export)	Not relevant — not sold directly to consumers	Seksyen 20
Group B	Registered pharmacist only, against a prescription	Yes — a written prescription is required	Seksyen 21
Group C	Registered pharmacist, as a dispensed medicine	No — may be sold directly	Seksyen 22

Most antibiotics and chronic-disease medicines — high blood pressure, diabetes and so on — fall under Group B. That is why a pharmacy cannot sell antibiotics simply because a customer insists on it.

What a prescription must contain

Seksyen 21 of Akta Racun 1952 does not merely say “a prescription is required” — it prescribes the content of the prescription itself. A prescription for a Group B Poison must contain:

• The name and address of the registered medical practitioner, dentist or veterinary surgeon who wrote it
• The name and address of the patient
• The quantity of medicine to be supplied and its dosage
• A limit on the number of times the prescription may be repeated — not exceeding three times

There is also a provision for emergencies. If it is impossible to obtain a written prescription without unreasonable delay, Seksyen 21(6) allows a pharmacist to sell the medicine on the oral or telephone instruction of a medical practitioner personally known to them — provided the written prescription is obtained within one day from the date of that sale.

Group C: not “uncontrolled”, just without a prescription

Group C Poisons — often called “ubat bebas” — may be sold without a prescription under Seksyen 22, but this does not mean anyone may sell them. They must still be sold by a registered pharmacist as a dispensed medicine or as an ingredient in a dispensed medicine. Some cough medicines, antihistamines and certain topical medicines fall under this group — still under the supervision of a registered professional, just without the step of a doctor’s prescription.

Psychotropic substances: one more layer of control

Beyond the A/B/C group system, Akta Racun 1952 also separately controls psychotropic substances under Jadual Ketiga of the act. Seksyen 30 provides that no person may import, export, manufacture, mix, dispense, sell, supply, administer, possess or use a psychotropic substance except in accordance with the prescribed regulations — with penalties for an offence reaching a fine of up to RM100,000 or imprisonment of up to five years.

Checking the medicine you buy

Beyond the question of prescriptions, another question that often arises — especially for medicine or supplements bought online — is whether a product is genuinely registered. The National Pharmaceutical Regulatory Agency (NPRA) under KKM operates the Quest3+ system, which allows the public to check the registration number (MAL number) of a pharmaceutical product.

For patients obtaining repeat medicine from a public health facility, KKM provides MyUBAT, a digital portal for checking prescription records from all MOH facilities, tracking medicine delivery by post, and following up on medicine supply — without needing to attend the counter in person every time.

Common misconceptions

• “A strong medicine must require a prescription; a mild one does not.” The actual classification is based on Jadual Pertama of Akta Racun 1952, not on assumptions about a medicine’s strength — some medicines consumers regard as “ordinary” are in fact Group B Poisons.
• “A pharmacist can sell me antibiotics if I ask nicely.” Antibiotics are typically Group B Poisons; selling them without a prescription breaches Seksyen 21, regardless of how confident the customer is about their own diagnosis.
• “An old prescription can be reused indefinitely.” Seksyen 21(2) limits the repetition of a prescription to not more than three times before a new prescription is required.
• “All cheap medicine sold online is safe.” A registration number can be checked via NPRA’s Quest3+ before buying, especially from an unfamiliar seller.

What’s next

For patients on long-term medication, read about medical insurance to understand how far the cost of medicine is covered by a health plan. For senior citizens or families managing repeat medication regularly, healthcare for seniors also explains value-added pharmacy services such as postal medicine delivery, which reduces the need to attend the counter every month.