GMC consults doctors on prescribing cheap unlicensed drugs to save money

Doctors may prescribe a cheaper unlicensed or off-label alternative to a licensed medicine, as long as it is approved in authoritative clinical guidelines and is just as safe and effective as the licensed version, the General Medical Council is to propose for the first time in new guidance on prescribing for UK doctors.

New standards for those working in sports medicine are also set out, requiring doctors to report their suspicions that an athlete’s performance has been improperly enhanced if it is in the public interest.

The draft guidance, which is open for consultation until 27 …