PRESCRIBE BY BRAND NAME TO ENSURE PATIENT CONTINUITY
Numerous national guidelines recommend that all biological medicines, including biosimilar medicines, should be prescribed by brand name[50-56].
The MHRA has confirmed that brand name prescribing for biological products is good practice[57]. This ensures automatic substitution of a biosimilar product does not occur when dispensed and supports ongoing pharmacovigilance of products[58].
Guidance from NHS England states that automatic substitution is not permitted for biological medicines, including biosimilars[51].
As biosimilar medicines often use the same INN as their reference product, an important way to ensure substitution does not take place is through brand name prescribing[51].
PRESCRIPTIONS FOR ENOXAPARIN DISPENSED IN RETAIL
In 2018, only 52% of enoxaparin prescriptions dispensed in retail specified a brand[59]. As a result, nearly half of patients prescribed enoxaparin may have received a different product and device to the one they were trained to use[59].
To review guidance from the relevant bodies concerning the prescription of biologics, please visit the links below. The references included above can be found on the “References” page located here.
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