Effective April 1, there will be changes to the Barbados National Drug Formulary, which will involve the deletion of some drugs and the addition of others.
Persons who benefit from free drugs under the Formulary are advised to check with their medical practitioners to find out if the medications they are currently taking will be affected by these changes.
According to a statement from the Barbados Drug Service, the Drug Formulary Committee recently undertook a comprehensive review of some of the therapeutic categories within the Formulary, in consultation with a cross-section of stakeholders, including doctors and pharmacists.
The Formulary is updated every two years to ensure that the best and most appropriate pharmaceuticals are available to the public, the statement disclosed.
The Drug Service has advised persons whose medications will no longer be available on the Formulary that their current prescriptions can be repeated until the end of September, provided that the prescription was initially filled before the end of March.
Categories of persons who receive free medication are those aged 65 and over; children under 16 years; and all persons, irrespective of age, who receive prescribed Formulary drugs for the treatment of diabetes, hypertension, asthma, cancer, glaucoma and epilepsy.
For more information about the changes, persons may check with their medical practitioner or pharmacist, or contact the Barbados Drug Service at 535-4300, or e-mail drugservice@health.gov.bb.