A letter raising the issue of generic substitution of ciclosporin has been sent to community pharmacists by the Esprit (efficacy and safety of prescribing in transplantation) group.
The letter, sent on June 22, was written by a number of health care professionals who form the group and was sponsored by Novartis. The Esprit group was formed "in light of the imminent introduction" of generic formulations of ciclosporin to "advise on best practice treatment". According to the letter, it is not clear how the new generic products compare to existing formulations. It concludes: "It is not advisable to switch formulations unless under close supervision and monitoring by a specialist."
No generic ciclosporin capsules are available in the UK at present and any generic formulations would be required to have the same release characteristics as the original brand.
Sangstat currently produces a generic ciclosporin solution and has made a licence application for a capsule formulation. Abbott Laboratories is developing both capsule and liquid formulations of ciclosporin, which it hopes will reach the market in 2001.