Medicines switching saves money across the south west
NHS England’s south west team introduced a medicines switching scheme in autumn 2022, working with clinical pharmacists, procurement teams and finance leads to encourage medicines switching. The scheme offered financial rewards to trusts and integrated care boards that went beyond their existing switching rates, encouraging them to push further.
One example is dimethyl fumarate, a medicine used to treat multiple sclerosis. The region also focused on ustekinumab biosimilars, a treatment for conditions including Crohn’s disease that costs the NHS around £250 million a year nationally.
By switching to these and other medicines, the NHS in the south west is estimated to have saved just under £100 million in the last 3 years.
This work was only possible because of strong collaboration between pharmacy, procurement and finance teams, and the leadership of the regional pharmaceutical leads.
The scheme also showed the importance of involving chief finance officers in planning and preparation. Better horizon-scanning tools helped teams spot opportunities earlier.
While progress to date has been good, there are significant further benefits to be realised both within and beyond the south west. The approach has attracted interest from 2 other regions, who are looking to adopt similar schemes.