Branded generic changes 2016 and onwards until further notice

To maximise cost effective prescribing our MMT has identified the following branded generics switches that will not compromise patient care but will lower our prescribing costs by hundreds of thousands of pounds.

As the GMC guidance states doctors ‘must make good use of the resources available’ we feel this size of savings means we are obliged to support these changes. Although there will be a change in name and packaging this should occur only once and then patients will always get the same packaging which ironically they don’t when we prescribe generically.

We believe that there are as good supplies of these drugs in the system as any other and that the price differences are stable and will endure for long enough to make changes worthwhile.

If you want to help yourself and your patient know the drug is the same as that they’re used to it is fine to type in the administration directions field after the directions that this drug is the same as the one they’re used to. For example for Sirdupla you could instruct “2 puffs bd (this inhaler contains the same medicine as Seretide 500)”. That should not result in Seretide being dispensed.

* estimated saving per year if 65% of prescriptions were changed to low cost alternative.

• Asacol 400mg/800mg MR to Octasa 400mg/800mg MR (£20,070)*
• Blood Glucose Test Strips to Low Cost Brand -  GlucoRX  Nexus (£153,235)*
• Cerazette to Cerelle (£3,546)*
• Cilest® to Lizinna (£1,133)*
• Concerta XL to Xenidate XL (£7,437)*
• Femodene® to Millinette (£623)*
• Femodette® to Millinette (£166)*
• Fentanyl to Fencino/Matrifen (£28,723)*
• Galantamine MR Caps to low cost brand Gatalin XL (14,636)*
• Ibugel to Fenbid (£8,445)*
• Isosorbide mononitrate to Chemydur XL (£11,335)*
• Lancets to low cost brand - GlucoRX (£10,021)*
• Logynon® Triregol (£164)*
• Marvelon® to Cimizt (£627)*
• Mercilon® to Gedarel (£449)*
• Microgynon to Levest (£1,323)*
• Morphine MR Tablets to low cost MR brands - Zomorph (£5,333)*
• Movicol to Laxido (£22,023)*
• Needles (insulin) to low cost brand (i.e. Trueplus/ BD Micro-Fine) (£26,284)*
• Ovranette® to Levest (£104)*
• Yasmin ti Lucette (£5,143)*
• Oxycodone to Longtec (£42,831)*
• Seretide 500 to Sirdupla in Asthma (£65,452)*
• Symbicort to Duoresp (£133,900)*
• Thick and Easy to ThickenAid (£2,352)*
• Tramadol MR to Marol MR (£11,023)*
• Venlafaxine XL Capsules to Venlalic XL tabs (£14,093)*

If your practice is yet to have support to undertake a wholesale switch and your colleagues are in agreement to do so you may wish to speed the process up by downloading the appropriate protocol from http://www.harrogateandruraldistrictccg.nhs.uk/medicine-management/medicine-protocols/ for signature/review. These can be collected by the our prescribing support colleagues who will work on the protocol when there will be a chance to discuss any local variations.

Click here for a handy reminder list of common generic brand and branded generic equivalents for your reception or dispensary. [coming soon]

If you have any questions or your practice no longer supports this initiative please contact the medicines management team.