The Pharmaceutical Journal
Vol 268 No 7195 p557-561
27 April 2002

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Anticoagulation test strips prescribable on NHS from May

Test strips for anticoagulant monitoring, CoaguChekS, are to be made available on prescription from 1 May. Yvette Cooper Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Health, made the annoucement at the launch of Anticoagulation Europe (ACE), a new charity for patients on oral anticoagulation therapy, on 24 April.

Eve Knight, national director, ACE, said the move would make self-testing more affordable for thousands of patients and save anticoagulation clinics time and money. "If the 60 per cent of people on oral anticoagulation therapy who wish to self-test their INR were able to do so, the total costs of anticoagulation monitoring and treatment of complications to the health service would be reduced by over £15m a year," she said.

Ms Cooper commented: "Self-monitoring is not right for everyone and patients on oral anticoagulation therapy should take the decision in consultation with their doctor."