Posted by Quintal on January 7, 2007, at 15:15:08
In reply to Re: Generics » Quintal, posted by ed_uk on January 7, 2007, at 7:42:41
>GPs are not allowed to demand specific generics (eg. TEVA, Alpharma, Generics UK) on NHS prescriptions. It is up to the pharmacy which generic they give. GPs are, however, allowed to prescribe branded products on the NHS eg. they could prescribe Prozac 20mg caps. In this case, they pharmacy will dispense the brand, often as a European Import. European Imports are used widely in UK community pharmacy because the government pays pharmacies based on the assumption that European Imports will be used. Because of this, the pharmacy will loose money if they dispense the 'English' brand.
I think I've read they are allowed to specify a specific brand for anticonvulsants for epileptics because of the danger small differences can cause. The same with lithium.
It amuses me to hear of people being so fussy over brand names - my lamotrigine tablets were often an amalgam of obscure foreign brands. I sometimes got a supply of Spanish children's orodispersible tablets and they were sometimes mixed in with a few brand name Lamictal tabs to fill the same prescription.
>Although GPs *can* prescribe drugs by brand eg. Prozac instead of fluoxetine, this practice is strongly discouraged because it wastes vast amounts of NHS money, something which the cash-strapped NHS can ill afford. In short, if people want brands on the NHS, taxes will have to go up!.........a lot!!
Yes, and not all will respond best to the original brand name in any case. Some people respond better to one of the generics. As you have shown, sometimes the generic can produce higher blood levels than the brand name.
Q
poster:Quintal
thread:719885
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20070107/msgs/720209.html