Why doesn the BNF recommend brand-name prescribing for all modified-release preparations?
The MHRA recommends that all modified-release preparations should be prescribed by their brand name. The BNF warns against changing brands only where there is the possibility of significant clinical impact (e.g. loss of clinical control or increased risk of adverse effects). In many instances, variation that results from non-bioequivalence is likely to have a smaller effect than other factors that determine absorption and distribution of the drug (e.g. not taking the medicine exactly on time and varying the time of taking the medicine with respect to food). For these reasons the BNF does not highlight the need to keep to the same brand for every modified-release drug.
