The National Pharmacy Association (NPA) has spoken out against Department of Health proposals to implement generic substitution in primary care. The NPA claims that the consequences of the proposed changes are counter to the drive to quality promoted within the DH Quality Innovation, Productivity and Prevention work stream.NPA external relations manager Margaret Peycke said: ‘We believe changes to a generic from the brand must be instigated by the prescriber and the patient must be involved in the decision. Initiatives to reduce waste are far more likely to achieve the financial savings the DH is seeking than generic substation with its inherent problems.’83% of prescriptions are prescribed generically with only another 5% having the potential to be prescribed generically. Asking a pharmacist to intervene could potentially damage patient or prescriber relationships, the NPA said.