The Pharmaceutical Journal
Vol 275 No 7364 p242
27 August 2005

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Cut and snip no more! more
Medicines assessment in the UK more

Cut and snip no more!

Just over two years ago, in our issue of 17 May 2003, The Journal began a series of articles in order to try — once more — to end the ludicrous practice of “cutting and snipping at perfectly sensible patient packs and giving patients the mangled remains” (ibid, p670). Although the practice, which has been around for over 40 years, has been condemned by the health professions, the pharmaceutical industry and all sides in Parliament, the most recent attempt to end it was blocked by the then health minister, Alan Milburn, in the late 1990s on grounds of cost. Even two years ago, trying to obtain a contribution to The Journal’s campaign from anybody representing the Government was, to say the least, challenging.

Let us hope that this sorry state of affairs may now be about to change. The Council of the Royal Pharmaceutical Society decided at its meeting earlier this month to make the ending of the snipping practice a matter of policy. This move is also widely supported by other pharmacy organisations (p243). Does this mean progress at last?

The Society’s view is that, on grounds of safety, each and every patient should expect to be given a patient information leaflet (PIL) with a dispensed medicine. If a medicine is dispensed in bits and pieces from a number of packs the chances of the original PIL being available is remote. And, although it is theoretically possible to source PILs from elsewhere, this is impracticable in a busy community pharmacy or hospital department. Moreover, the cost argument looks feeble when stacked against the safety argument.

We also need to look to Europe. After the end of October, patient packs must be printed in Braille in order to meet regulations covering the needs of the blind and the partially sighted. This will mean that original pack dispensing will be essential for this group of patients and should add further impetus to the campaign to end cutting and snipping for everyone.

Tellingly, a spokesman for the Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry believes that, because the Society has now made this official policy, the Government will have less chance to duck and weave. Let us hope that this is true and that 2006 will see scissors being applied to a blister pack for the last time.

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Medicines assessment in the UK

Recent complaints in the national press that the Scots have faster access to new chemotherapy agents than the English and Welsh was misleading. This week’s cover article explains how the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence works, and how the home countries of the UK differ in their approach to medicines’ assessments (p254 PDF (230K)).

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