UAE Law and Practice Contributed by: Haykel Hajjaji, Julie Teperow, Robin Blaney and Winsome Cheung, Covington & Burling LLP
lent, provided the patient is informed that a cheaper alternative exists and is given the choice between the branded and generic drug. Under the DRG regime in Dubai, prescriptions fall within a fixed reimbursement amount. This indirectly incentivises cost‑effective prescribing and treatment choices. In Abu Dhabi, the DOH’s Standard for the Prescribing and Dispensing of Generic Medicines (“Prescription Standard”) requires pharmacists not to dispense a branded medical product when the prescription speci- fies a generic product. However, if a specific branded product is prescribed, the pharmacist may not dis- pense a generic substitute when a “Do Not Substitute (DNS)” note is included. The Prescription Standard also sets out several circumstances in which pharma- cists may not offer generic alternatives for specific or branded prescriptions. Under Abu Dhabi’s implementation of the UPP framework, providers are reimbursed based on fixed markups rather than the full product price. This dis- courages the prescribing of higher‑priced medical products when a cheaper alternative is available.
378 CHAMBERS.COM
Powered by FlippingBook