Prescibed medicines, reduction in prescribable drugs list

Correspondence and papers mainly relating to the 1984 government proposals to introduce a restricted list of medicines prescribable on the NHS from 1 April 1985, covering the response of the Patients Association, the pharmaceutical industry and professional organisations such as the Association of British Pharmaceutical Industry (ABPI), British Medical Association (BMA), Dispensing Doctors Association, the Association of Community Health Councils for England and Wales (ACHCEW) and the Pharmaceutical Society of Great Britain. The proposals were criticised for appearing to be a mixture of generic prescribing, limited lists and encouragement of over the counter sales. (The proposal involved removing many vitamins, tonics, and laxatives from the prescribable list meaning that patients could only obtain them over the counter in restricted volumes at market prices and making some more expensive drugs available by private prescription only.)

The file also covers issues of excessive or unnecessary prescribing by GPs with regard to cost implications for the NHS and the effects of long term prescriptions or too much prescribing without commensurate information to the patient, the need for explanation of coping strategies in lieu of blanket prescribing, dealing with patient expectations about their right to prescriptions of their choice, over-prescribing to pensioners, pressure for more generic prescribing (rather than well known brand names), the Greenfield Report on Effective Prescribing (with comments of the Patients Association and National Consumer Council), Patients Association comments on the Consumer Association's paper on the 'Drug Industry' and the prescribing habits of GPs, over prescription of tranquilizers, patient and doctor attitudes to prescribing.

Includes correspondence with the DHSS, newspaper and journal articles, DHSS press releases, correspondence with other associations, copy of the ABPI Briefing for MPs 'Patients First?', list of the proposed drugs to be removed from the NHS expense after 1 Apr 1985, circulars issued May 1985 regarding exceptions to the blacklist introduced by the government, i.e. circumstances where GPs could prescribe disallowed drugs.

1977-1985

1 file (in 2 parts)