Switching statins: How to do it without tears and to benefit the NHS

doi:10.1136/bmj.332.7556.1513

BMJ 2006;332:1513 (24 June), doi:10.1136/bmj.332.7556.1513

Letter

Switching statins

How to do it without tears and to benefit the NHS

The first 150 words of the full text of this article appear below.

EDITOR—Moon and Bogle discuss how switching to genericsimvastatin could save money for the NHS in England.¹ The AllWales Medicines Strategy Group (AWMSG) was established in 2002to advise the minister of health of the Wales Assembly on promotingsafe and cost effective prescribing. The group considers thatthe promotion of generic simvastatin as the most cost effectivestatin of choice will greatly benefit NHS Wales. This is basedon robust evidence.

General practitioners in Wales are advised that generic simvastatinshould be the most cost effective statin of choice for new patientsreceiving statin treatment. Switching was not actively promotedas such. To help local health boards to balance their budgets,a subgroup of the AWMSG was tasked to develop the all Walesprescribing incentive scheme.

The Newport board has included generic simvastatin as an indicatorin its prescribing incentive scheme in the past three years.. . . [Full text of this article]

Thomas Lau, general practitioner

Lliswerry Medical Centre, Newport, Gwent NP20 5EB lmclau@hotmail.com

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