Cheaper generic drugs could save NHS £200m

DOCTORS could help save another £ 200million a year if they stop prescribing expensive branded drugs for cancer and arthritis.

Watchdogs want patients to be offered near-identical generic treatments that are cheaper but just as effective. NHS Improvement believes some of the biggest savings could be made by prescribing alternatives for the breast cancer wonder drug Herceptin and Humira, which is used to treat arthritis and inflammatory bowel disease. Last year the NHS saved £324million by avoiding prescribing other branded medicines. This year it hopes to make an extra £200million a year by avoiding Herceptin and Humira.

Jeremy Marlow, of NHS Improvement, said the aim was to ‘ use medicines more effectively and make every penny of the NHS’s budget count’.