New Prescription Charge Exemption Category

5 December 2007

NHS Circular CEL( 2007) 9 advises that regulations come into effect on 1 October 2007 which will allow any person suffering from TB to receive their medicines for TB free of charge.

Consequently yet another version of the prescription form (GP and HBP range) will be issued but this will not be until next year.

In the meantime Practitioner Services has agreed that if a patient who has been prescribed drugs for the treatment of TB places a cross (X) in the ‘contraceptive medicine‘ exemption box (Box L) and the pharmacist endorses the prescription by marking ‘TB’ at the end of the explanatory text for box L, no prescription charge will be deducted.

The drugs used to treat patients with TB are specified in Schedule 4 to the regulations (National Health Service (Charges for Drugs and Appliances) (Scotland) (No.2) Regulations 2007). It details the specific antibiotics associated with the treatment of TB. These are as follows:

SCHEDULE OF DRUGS TO TREAT TUBERCULOSIS

1. Any of the following drugs or preparations containing these drugs, used for the purpose of treating Tuberculosis:
   Capreomycin, Cylocersine, Ethambutol, Isoniazid, Pyrazinamide, Rifabutin, Rifampicin, Streptomycin.
2. Any of the following drugs or preparations containing these drugs, used for the purpose of treating drug resistant Tuberculosis or associated infections:
   Amikacin, Macrolides, Quinolones, Protionamide.
3. The following drug or preparation used prophylactically, when treating Tuberculosis:
   Pyridoxine.