Introduction of e-prescriptions for antibiotics won't affect this market segment – experts

KYIV. Aug 17 (Interfax-Ukraine) – The introduction of electronic prescriptions for antibiotics will not affect this market segment, however, it will create prerequisites for antimicrobial resistance, experts interviewed by the Interfax-Ukraine News Agency say.

"This is a necessary measure to counter antibiotic resistance, self-medication and misuse of drugs," General Manager of the Teva Ukraine pharmaceutical company Dmytro Spitsyn said.

He noted that both pharmacies and doctors have experience of work with e-prescriptions under the Affordable Medicines reimbursement program, while the introduction of e-prescriptions for antibiotics, which was tentatively scheduled for April 1, was delayed due to the war.

"Some pharmacies already have experience of work with e-prescriptions. The unified database helps a doctor to prescribe the appropriate INN and choose the dosage. We hope that doctors, pharmacies, and patients will quickly get used to the changes and take them positively," Spitsyn said.

At the same time, he expects that e-prescriptions for antibiotics will primarily help to fight antibiotic resistance and self-medication.

"We do not see a direct relation between the introduction of electronic prescriptions for antibiotics and prices in this segment of drugs," Spitsyn said.

In turn, Ukraine Sales Director of the Arterium pharmaceutical corporation Iryna Oliynyk said that most of the pharmacies were ready to sell antibiotics by e-prescription, however, it will be possible to judge full readiness only by the end of the transition period.

She also noted that primary care doctors were ready to issue electronic prescriptions, while hospital doctors were not.

"The primary link – family doctors, therapists, pediatricians of clinics – is completely ready. Doctors in hospitals are mostly not connected to the electronic prescription system, although in hospitals there is sometimes a need to prescribe drugs that are not available," Oliynyk said.

According to her, with the correct systematic introduction of antibiotics prescription, the antibiotics market will not decrease, and the prices for these drugs will not change.

At the same time, the expert stressed that the success of the launch of the project for selling antibiotics under e-prescriptions could be significantly affected by the arrival of humanitarian aid in the form of antimicrobial drugs in Ukraine.

"In our opinion, it can slow down the implementation of the project on electronic prescriptions for antibiotics. We are aware of cases of receipt of antimicrobial agents through humanitarian aid not only in hospitals, but also in clinics in our country," Oliynyk said.

For his part, Head of the Pharmacy Professional Association of Ukraine Volodymyr Rudenko said that at present there is no information that the introduction of electronic prescriptions for antibiotics has caused any difficulties or failures in the work of pharmacies.

"I would like to reassure that in fact there was no revolution with the launch of this system, because in fact antibiotics have been sold by prescription for a long time already. All pharmacies that are members of our association already work this way. There is no information about any problems with selling antibiotics," he said.

Rudenko noted that in case of problems with paying off an electronic prescription for antibiotics due to possible communication failures and the lack of the Internet, you can get the drug using a paper prescription – this is allowed.

At the same time, according to Rudenko’s forecasts, the launch of electronic prescriptions for antibiotics will significantly reduce the volume of self-treatment and self-prescription of antibiotics by patients, which has an extremely negative impact on health and leads to catastrophic consequences in the form of antibiotic resistance.

"Perhaps, patients are used to the fact that they can freely buy antibiotics, but perhaps these habits should be changed. We expect a serious reduction in self-medication, people will stop prescribing antibiotics themselves," Rudenko said.

At the same time, according to him, it will be possible to assess how effectively electronic prescriptions for antibiotics work after at least a month of the system’s operation.

As reported, electronic prescriptions for antibiotics have been introduced in Ukraine from August 1.