SHIFT Newsroom · UK
Isotretinoin: the October 2025 review behind later prescribing changes
A historical update explains the service survey and remote-care clarifications, with the subsequent January 2026 changes linked.
An MHRA announcement on 27 October 2025 clarified parts of isotretinoin care and sought information from NHS and private prescribing services. It was an earlier stage of a review that subsequently produced further changes in January 2026.
The October guidance allowed suitable follow-up consultations to take place remotely while retaining an in-person first appointment. It also clarified that pregnancy testing could be medically supervised remotely with appropriate guidance and oversight. These options were conditional on clinical assessment, patient needs and safeguarding; they were not a blanket switch to remote care.
Sexual-function monitoring at follow-up appointments continued, although discussions could be briefer by the third appointment. The notice also asked service leads to complete a baseline survey by 16 November 2025. That deadline is historical and should not be presented as an open invitation today.
The CHM report’s later January 2026 addendum records the next stage: replacement of the under-18 second-prescriber requirement with revised risk-minimisation measures. Other safeguards remained. Readers need that later context when interpreting the October notice. These are related but distinct records, and preserving their dates avoids confusing a past consultation exercise with the current prescribing framework.
Known facts
- Historical survey deadline: 16 November 2025.
- Remote follow-up and testing require appropriate assessment and oversight.
- January 2026 addendum records subsequent prescribing changes.