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GPs face blanket ban on prescribing branded statins to save costs

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It does say it's only a proposal and may be one of those leaked shock horror stories that precedes a slightly lesser round of cutbacks that looks good in comparison to the original proposals.

It's also possible that the accountants are looking at quantitative rather than qualitative data and the need the clinicians to decide which of the options will cause less harm.

Rob
 
Dunno bout statins as no longer take em, but our PCT have stopped some of the BP meds, have recently had to change from Olmetec to Losartan since when I haven't had me BP done! LOL so for all i know it could be as high as a kite ....
 
Dunno bout statins as no longer take em, but our PCT have stopped some of the BP meds, have recently had to change from Olmetec to Losartan since when I haven't had me BP done! LOL so for all i know it could be as high as a kite ....

I remember when I was first diagnosed the doctor put me on a branded ramipril, however when I saw a different GP and needed a different strength she prescribed a generic. Surely it makes more sense to prescribe generics first? I stopped the ramipril anyway after a few months and changed to candesartan (or rather, I am supposed to be taking it, but keep forgetting! 😱)
 
The NHS tries to discourage the prescribing of "branded" drugs where possible, simply because they're more expensive and we (hospitals etc) are all supposed to be saving huge amounts of money. Often un-branded drugs are exactly the same as the branded versions (nurofen and ibuprofen for example, nurofen costs upwards of ?1 a packet and the same number of ibuprofen tabs in the same strength costs less than 50p) and do exactly the same job.
There are exceptions, some drugs are prescribed as brands because there is a difference in the pills/caps made and it's important to stick to a brand, Lithium Carbonate is one, theophylline is another.
Atorvastatin is only availible at the moment as the Lipitor brand from Pfizer, because Pfizer still have the sole license to make and sell it. However i think that the protected license period is coming to an end, and all the generic drug companies want to get in on the action. Atorvastatin is pretty much the favoured alternative to Simvastatin, but at the moment it's much more expensive. I haven't ever seen a branded Simvastatin pill, in the 4 years i've been working in hospital pharmacy (techinically i've been in hospital pharmacy for more like 7 years, but for the first year id didn't see many drugs, and the 2nd and 3rd were in a children's hospital where there was much call for cholesterol lowering drugs....saw lots and lots of calpol though...)

Rachel
 
I think all my meds are generic - each time I get my prescription made up they are different packets, different blister packs, different languages!! Can be a bit confusing at time but I just make sure I am careful when opening up new packs.
 
If you take Metformin and Levothyroxine that seems reasonable Marge.They're both fairly well established drugs so your chemist will probably get which ever supplier has the cheapest ones, or whoever can do them the best deal. I did come across a patient last week who had decided that they HAD to have Glucophage brand Metformin and we didn't actually have any tablets so/she had to have sachets.
You foreign language problem seems a little odd, are you also taking something unlicensed (oh dear, unlicensed meds are like my mastermind specialised subject....😱)? If not then they aught to be supplied with a translation of the box labels (for example we get some inhalers that have been packaged for greece, and have greek on the outside of the box, the information leaflet inside should be in english and there's a sticker on the back that repeats all the information on the box in english, if in very small print.)
 
Oh the leaflet is always in English, not that I read them just for repeats! It is the writing on the blister packs and I actually prefer it if they don't put another label over the top with Mon/Tue/Weds etc.

Don't think there is anything dodgy but the pharmacy going for the best deal. They work - fine by me.
 
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