UK DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH PROMOTES USE OF GENERIC STATINS

A report published last week by the UK's Department of Health show that the country's National Health Service (NHS) could save approximately $167 million a year through more efficient prescribing of cholesterol-lowering drugs, or statins.

The findings come from the most recent set of quarterly Better Care, Better Value Indicators, which were developed by the Department of Health to help the NHS identify productivity gains and improve patient care.

The volume of statin prescribing has increased by more than 150 percent during the past five years, costing the NHS more than $1 billion in 2005. The new figures show that if every Primary Care Trust prescribed generic pravastatin and simvastatin — two of the five statins approved in the UK — just 69 percent of the time, more than $167 million could be saved each year.

"Statin prescription is one of the areas that can release the most savings," Health Minister Andy Burnham said. "Clinicians can help to treat more patients by prescribing one of the lower cost drugs where it is clinically appropriate. The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence has confirmed that generic versions of statins are as effective for most patients as their more expensive, branded counterparts."

The Better Care, Better Value Indicators can be viewed at www.productivity.nhs.uk/.