TCI National Health Insurance Plan updates on New Formulary

#TurksandCaicos, July 15, 2021 – We wish to advise the public that the National Health Insurance Plan has updated its drug formulary. The Plan now covers newer drugs that it did not previously cover. Older drugs that were no longer in use were swapped for better alternatives. There should not be any significant changes to your medication.

However, to help with a smooth transition, the Formulary was distributed to your doctors and pharmacies three months before it came into effect. This should help your doctor guide you through any minor changes required. We want to remind you that the National Health Insurance Plan only entitles beneficiaries to generic drugs primarily and Branded drugs only where necessary. It has always been the case, and this stipulation has not been changed with the updated Formulary.

Pharmacies and doctors have been aware of this since the inception of the NHIP. The majority of drugs covered by the Plan have always been generic drugs. A generic drug is a pharmaceutical drug containing the same chemical substance as a drug originally protected by chemical patents.

When a drug is first invented, there is a patent on it. This means that only the company that developed the drug can manufacture, brand, and sell it. However, once the patent expires, then the drug can be made by more manufacturers. These manufacturers must adhere to the same quality and safety standards as the name brand manufacturers.

We understand there are clinical situations where branded drugs are necessary. We have tried to capture these instances by including some brands in the updated Formulary. Beyond this, we have made allowance for one-off evaluations of special requests for drugs not on the Formulary. This process has been in use for several years. Your doctors and pharmacies are aware of this process and can complete the necessary request document.

Finally, we wish to thank the local healthcare providers for taking part in the consultative process that went into updating the Formulary. We look forward to continued collaboration as we continue to ensure that the Formulary serves the needs of the people of the Turks and Caicos Islands