The Pharmaceutical Journal
Vol 276 No 7389 p225
25 February 2006

This article
Reprint   Photocopy

  Acrobat Reader

News summary

Generic exemption plan for prescription charges

NHS managers have been discussing exempting prescriptions for generic medicines from the prescription charge.

This was revealed to the House of Commons Health Select Committee by Dame Gill Morgan, NHS Confederation chief executive, during an evidence session for the committee’s inquiry into NHS charges.

Dame Gill said that exempting generics from the charge and allowing patients to have branded medicines only if they paid a fee would both improve equity and encourage generic prescribing.

At a later evidence session, health minister Jane Kennnedy told the committee that the Prescription Pricing Authority was shortly to report on the possibility of allowing patients to pay for prepayment certificates in instalments.