The Association of:
Formulation Innovation
for better dosing, reduced wastage and better patient care
The Pharmaceutical waste report 2015 (ref 1) was commissioned to analyse the situation and concluded the following:
It has been estimated £300 million of NHS prescribed medicines are wasted each year.
Work needs to be carried out to make waste reduction part of the everyday culture of the NHS – it is only through sustained cultural change that a long term, significant reduction in pharmaceutical waste can be achieved.
Furthermore, the report stressed that:
- It is clear when reviewing the causes and types of pharmaceutical waste that prescriber, dispenser and patient all play a part in waste creation.
- Focus needs to be put on both personalising the patient’s experience but also avoiding unnecessary demand.
- Many of the causes of waste were due to residents having multiple conditions that necessitated complex treatments.
- Repeat Prescription Management Service (RPMS) cost saving initiatives have been successful, and have been estimated to have the potential to save up to £106 million per year if extrapolated across the NHS.
- Focus at the point of prescribing and dispensing can be very successful, especially when reviewing repeat prescriptions.
- Conducting a review of medicines at regular intervals to avoid unnecessary dispensing and to ensure any changes in patient symptoms are reflected in changes to medication.
Can Formulation Innovation further help reduce NHS Drug Wastage through improvement of patient adherence?
Diversification of formulations to target patients who struggle with a variety of issues associated with taking solid dosage forms may potentially help improve patient adherence and subsequently reduce wastage.
The Guidelines for the Managment of Patients with Swallowing Difficulties (ref. 2) states that:
To protect patients, the law requires that the:
- Right MEDICINE is given to the
- Right PERSON, at the
- Right TIME, using the
- Right DOSE, in the
- Right FORM
Prescribing decisions that fall below the accepted standard can lead to:
- Civil liability
- Criminal liability
- Professional liability
- Breach of employment contract
Ref 1. Pharmaceutical waste reduction in the NHS NHS Business Service Authority, June 2015
Ref 2. Guidelines on the medication management of adults with swallowing difficulties Wright D. et al © 2015 MGP Ltd
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