Mary Flaherty
Question:55 Miss Flaherty asked the Minister for Health the plans he has to extend the use of generic medicines in both general practice and the hospital service.
Written Answers. - Generic Medicines.
Under the review of the GMS which is underway at the moment, the question of increasing the level of generic prescribing in General Practice is one of the issues being discussed with the Medical Organisations.
The matter has also been considered by an Inter-Departmental Drugs Group which was composed of representatives of the Department of Health, Finance and Industry and Commerce. This Committee examined all aspects of Exchequer expenditure on prescribed drugs and has recently reported to me. I am currently considering the recommendations of the Group and in particular will be examining closely their recommendations concerning generic prescribing.
Among the actions taken to date by my Department to promote the use of generics are:
—the issuing of the National Drugs Formulary to general practitioners and to hospital doctors and to hospital and community pharmacists, which lists drugs by generic name and helps familiarise general practitioners with the use of generic names in place of proprietary names. Throughout the Formulary, medicines have been recommended on the basis of their general acceptance as being the medicines of first choice.
—the setting up of the National Therapeutics Advisory Committee under the chairmanship of Prof. William Shannon which among other matters, will be advising doctors on appropriate, safe, effective and cost-efficient prescribing.
—the issuing of guidelines for the operation of hospital therapeutics committees, whichinter alia, promote the use of generic drugs.
It is intended that these measures will encourage the greater use of generic drugs within general practice and the hospital service.