Prescription required for mupirocin (Bactroban)

Mupirocin ointment and cream are Schedule 1 in Alberta and require a prescription.

Mupirocin ointment and cream were placed in Schedule 1 by NAPRA, based on a September 1999 recommendation of the National Drug Scheduling Advisory Committee.

In Alberta, NAPRA drug schedules are in effect unless a drug is listed on the Alberta Exceptions List. Mupirocin is not on this list. Therefore, a prescription is required in Alberta even though Health Canada’s Drug Product Database lists mupirocin-containing products as OTC.

See the national drug schedules document on the NAPRA website for rationale on why the drug was placed on Schedule 1.