How we approve medicines

Medicines formulary

Our medicines formulary is a list of medicines we use to treat adults.

You can access our formulary on the South East London Joint Medicines Formulary website.

We use the formulary and other resources to make sure our prescribing is safe and appropriate. Other resources we use include:

• the British National Formulary
• product information
• local, regional and national clinical and prescribing guidelines

For more information about medicines and the conditions they treat, please see the medicines A-Z on the NHS website.

Approving new medicines

The introduction of new medicines to our formulary is managed by: 

• South East London Integrated Medicines Optimisation Committee (IMOC)
• Joint Formulary Committee (JFC)

These committees meet regularly. Its members are consultants, GPs and pharmacists from:

• Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust
• King's College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust
• Lewisham and Greenwich NHS Trust
• South East London Integrated Care Board (ICB)

Consultants need to make a submission to the formulary pharmacist to include other medicines.

Technology appraisals

Technology appraisals are recommendations from the National Institute of Clinical Excellence (NICE) on the use of new and existing medicines in the NHS. See the NICE technology appraisal guidance list. When NICE recommend a medicine in a technology appraisal, NHS organisations are legally required to add the medicine to their formulary.

Our annual checklist shows how our formulary follows the latest NICE technology appraisal recommendations.

For a copy of our latest checklist showing how our formulary follows the latest NICE technology appraisal recommendations, please email us.

The children's formulary

Our children's formulary provides guidance on the use of medicines approved for children by the paediatric (children’s) formulary committee.

For more information, visit the Evelina London Children's website.