The Pharmaceutical Journal
Vol 276 No 7390 p263
4 March 2006

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· Methadone mixture
· Brand prescribing
· Oxygen services
· BuTrans and the SMC
· The profession (4)
· The Society
· Reciprocity
· CPD

Letters to the Editor

Brand prescribing

Improving patient safety and quality of care

From Mr A. Dickman, MRPharmS

Generic prescribing is generally considered to be the norm. However, there are exceptions to the rule, such as modified release diltiazem formulations. As pointed out in the Royal Pharmaceutical Society’s recent statement (PJ, 18 February, p215), the chief pharmaceutical officer in 2004 recommended that sustained release opioids should be prescribed by brand name to avoid ambiguity. Patient safety is paramount, yet medication errors continue to occur and represent a huge financial burden for the NHS. The simple measure of brand prescribing modified release morphine preparations and opioid patches can help to improve patient safety and the quality of care that we provide. The cost of prescribing branded strong opioids is negligible when litigation costs are considered.

I am pleased to see the Practice Committee press for the branded prescribing of modified release morphine preparations and opioid patches. This is something that I strongly recommended last autumn (PJ, 29 October 2005, p546). In fact, the Palliative Care Pharmacists’ Network (formerly the Hospice and Palliative Care Pharmacists’ Association) contacted the British National Formulary in January 2005 to consider including the recommendation for branded prescribing of strong opioid preparations. It was thought, however, that such action was unnecessary. I sincerely hope that the BNF and the Council take note and put this simple recommendation into practice.

Andrew Dickman
Specialist Principal Pharmacist
Palliative Care Team
Whiston Hospital,
Merseyside

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