Automatic generic substitution of drugs 'may cause problems'
Wednesday 2nd September 2009
The automatic generic substitution of drugs by pharmacists may cause problems among patients, it has been claimed.
According to Southport community healthcare's epilepsy specialist nurse Kim Morley, such activity could result in patients switching between medications which are absorbed at slightly different rates, the Nursing Times reports.
The government is to launch a consultation into the proposed changes later this year.
If the proposals go ahead, pharmacists would be obliged to routinely dispense a generic version of a drug even if the person who prescribed it specified a brand.
The only alternative to this would be if the prescriber ticked a box which said "do not substitute".
Ms Morley suggested that swapping the medication received by some patients could have negative consequences.
Providing an example, she stated: "Epilepsy drugs have different half lives and it is vital to get the balance right.
"If blood levels are altered, or a patient forgets to take just one tablet, they could have a seizure."
Last month, the NHS Information Centre revealed that the total number of prescription items dispensed to patients in England rose by almost two-thirds between 1998 and 2008.
Written by Megan Smith
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