The federal government has rushed through an emergency regulation banning dentists from prescribing an arthritis drug being touted as a potential COVID-19 treatment, after reports some were prescribing it in bulk to themselves and their families.

That has led to shortages for patients who really need the drug.

The Pharmaceutical Society of Australia has now taken the extraordinary step of urging its members to refuse to dispense the medication unless it is being used to treat arthritis or malaria.

Dentists are now banned from prescribing hydroxychloroquine. Credit:iStock

The drug, hydroxychloroquine, is an old anti-malarial now used to treat autoimmune conditions such as lupus and rheumatoid arthritis.