Source · Select Committees · Health and Social Care Committee
Recommendation 4
4
Accepted
Paragraph: 48
Medicine shortages risk negating general practice capacity gains from Pharmacy First.
Conclusion
It is also especially worrying that shortages are resulting in patients being directed back into general practice. There is a serious risk that any capacity that general practice gains, through services like Pharmacy First, will be negated by the time spent re-issuing prescriptions as a result of shortages, thus undermining this initiative.
Government Response Summary
The government reiterates that current regulations require exact dispensing for patient safety, notes most prescriptions are generic, and explains that a previous proposal for generic substitution was not progressed due to patient safety concerns.
Paragraph Reference:
48
Government Response
Accepted
HM Government
Accepted
As above, the Human Medicines Regulations 2012 (HMRs 2012) require pharmacists to dispense “in accordance with a prescription”. This has been interpreted to mean supply of medicines must be the exact product and quantity prescribed with some limited exceptions. 81% of all drugs in primary care are already prescribed generically. Where a prescription has been prescribed by a brand, there could be good clinical reasons why a patient must be maintained on a specific manufacturer’s product, because of issues of bioequivalence (e.g. anti-epileptics) or where patients suffer from side effects or are allergic to a particular excipient. DHSC have previously consulted on introducing generic substitution in primary care but did not progress the proposals following concerns highlighted about these potential impacts on patient safety.