NHS saves £324m by switching medicines

The NHS has saved hundreds of millions of pounds in just one year by switching some of the medicines it uses, officials have said.

NHS Improvement said that by switching just 10 expensive medicines to better value and equally effective alternatives, hospitals in England saved £324million last financial year.

Further savings are expected next year as NHS trusts are being encouraged to move away from breast cancer drug Herceptin to use a biologically similar medicine. The savings have been made by switching generic medicines and biosimilar medicines for some conditions including rheumatoid arthritis.