Posts in November 24, 2025

In Pharmaciens (Ordre des) c. Zalat (2025 QCCDPHA 23), a Québec pharmacist was found guilty of professional misconduct after dispensing a high-risk corrosive medication, trichloroacetic acid, to a patient’s mother without counselling the actual patient. Concerned about breaching confidentiality related to an ITSS diagnosis, the pharmacist provided only partial information and relied on the mother’s assurance that the patient “knew how to use it.” The patient later suffered a chemical burn. The disciplinary council held that counselling is a non-delegable obligation and confidentiality does not justify incomplete advice. The decision reinforces that pharmacists must refuse to dispense when safe counselling cannot be provided.