Is atomoxetine legal in the UK?
Prescription onlyPrescription-only medicine (POM); not a controlled drug· Last checked 23 October 2026
UK legal status
Short answer Inferred
Atomoxetine is a prescription-only medicine in the UK and is not a controlled drug. Selling or supplying it without a prescription is an offence under the Human Medicines Regulations 2012. The lawful route is a UK prescription dispensed by a GPhC-registered pharmacy.
- Status
- Prescription only
- Inferred
- Schedule or class
- Prescription-only medicine (POM); not a controlled drug
- Regulator
- MHRA
- Medicine class
- Non-stimulant ADHD medicine
- CAS / ATC
- 83015-26-3 · N06BA09
- Identifiers.
What atomoxetine is
Atomoxetine is a non-stimulant medicine for ADHD in children and adults. It is prescription-only but is not a controlled drug in the UK, US or Australia.
Status in other markets
- United States
- Prescription onlyNot scheduledFDA
- Inferred
- Australia
- Prescription onlyS4 (prescription only)TGA
- Inferred
- European Union
- Prescription onlyVaries by member stateEMA / national competent authorities
- Unverified
Licences needed to import
- Importing atomoxetine into Great Britain from India, which is not on the approved country for import list, needs an MHRA manufacturer's licence of the appropriate type.
- Distributing it by way of wholesale dealing needs a wholesale dealer's licence, and licensed wholesalers must follow Good Distribution Practice.
- The product must hold a UK marketing authorisation, or be supplied as an unlicensed medicine under the specials rules with the MHRA notified before import.
38 Indian export portals in our Nagpur dataset name atomoxetine on their profiles. We do not list them on this page. To check a specific business, use the UK verification request.
Personal import
No specific UK personal-import rule is recorded for this medicine.
Any pharmacy supplying medicines to UK patients, online or in person, must be registered with the General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC). You can search the GPhC register by name or registration number.
Penalties
- Selling or supplying a prescription-only medicine other than in accordance with a prescription is an offence under the Human Medicines Regulations 2012 (reg. 214). On indictment the maximum is 2 years' imprisonment, a fine, or both.
- Possessing a prescription-only medicine for personal use is not in itself an offence.
- Parcels of medicines sent by unregistered overseas sellers can be detained and seized at the border.
Maximum sentences. Actual outcomes depend on the facts of each case.
Sources
- Human Medicines Regulations 2012
- GPhC register of pharmacies
- DEA: Controlled substances, alphabetical order
- TGA Personal Importation Scheme
- Human Medicines Regulations 2012, reg. 17 (manufacturer's licence)
- Human Medicines Regulations 2012, reg. 18 (wholesale dealer's licence)
- MHRA: Import a human medicine
General information, not legal advice. Entries marked Inferred or Unverified have not been confirmed against a primary source. See our methodology and corrections policy.