Legitimacy and potential savings in automatic substitution of biological products in Poland, the example of insulin

Currently in Poland there is no regulation aiming at framing the complexity of substitution process arising at pharmacy level. In practice such process exists in variety type of products, both generic and biological scope. Lack of integrity in terms of this process between authorised medical professions who held it, might lead to further costs both for the health care system and patients. The aim of the study is to explain, that the economic advantage, which very often is the result of performed substitution process, in some types of products such as bio-logical ones, should be preceded with the decision of the treating physi-cian. Only then, in the cooperation between persons prescribing and dispensing certain medicinal product the process of substitution may fully use its potential of money saving along with the control over a certain patient. The study brings the yet unknown classification of dif-ferences in costs between actually performed automatic substitution of products containing human insulin in the pharmacy setting in Poland in four year period in five Voivodeships.